


Christmas Countdown DiNozzo Style

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: Family Fluff, Family fun, Gen, Holiday countdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 27,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27812503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: A series of short one-shots related to the December holidays. Part of the "You Complete Me" universe.
Relationships: Delilah Fielding/Timothy McGee, Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 23
Kudos: 26





	1. Countdown Calendars

Christmas Countdown a la DiNozzo

_Twenty-five days of short one-shots for the holidays._

Chapter 1: Countdown Calendars – 2024

Tony laid the five Christmas count-down calendars on the table after the family had finished dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Ziva had used the leftover turkey, vegetables, gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes to make a shepherd's pie. Everyone had seconds and large casserole was gone in no time flat.

"These are count-down to Christmas calendars; you open one door each day starting on December first. That's tomorrow," Tony explained to the children. "I have some fond memories of opening a count-down calendar when I was young. My mom always bought me one that had candies in the doors. It was fun to see what candy each day held.

"These have both candy and small toys behind the doors. I don't know what each day holds, just the theme for each calendar. Tali, yours has a musical theme; Anthony, you have a sports theme. Riv and Beth, you both have princess doll themed calendars. And LJ, your calendar has miniature animals."

"Cool!" Beth reached for hers. "When can we open these?" Rivka and Beth compared the pictures on their calendars; the images were identical except for primary colors. Riv's was mostly blue and purple while Beth's was mostly red and pink.

"Tomorrow," Ziva pointed to the numbered doors. "See, here is your number one door to open tomorrow. Then door number two on Monday and so on."

Anthony inspected his calendar; it had a Christmas tree decorated with sports balls and other equipment. He held it up to the light and shook it as well.

"NO peeking, Anthony!" Tali scolded her brother. "You have to wait to see just like the rest of us do." She really liked the picture on her calendar; it had musical instruments and symbols on the Christmas tree drawing. There was also an orange cat curled under the tree. "Abba, that cat looks like Simba!"

Ziva smiled at her eldest, "That is one reason we chose that calendar for you. Also, for the music theme. Abba said that the cat reminded him of your Simba."

She glanced over at her baby; LJ had been unusually quiet while the others compared and admired their calendars, "What are you doing, LJ?"

The little boy looked up quickly when he heard his name and put his hand over a section of his calendar. "Um… nothin', Ima."

"He opened his doors!" Riv tattled on her little brother.

"Did not!" LJ shot back.

"Then why are there _open_ doors on your calendar?" she retorted.

LJ moved his hand as his mother glared at him; he knew better than to ignore the Ima glare. "I didn't open them. They were already part-way open…"

Ziva scowled at her son, "So you decided to open them all the way."

"No… um… yes…" LJ looked to his Abba for help.

Tony shrugged, "Sorry, kid, you are on your own with this one. _But_ … I will suggest that you find a way to close those doors again; do you want me to help?"

"Please, Abba. Sorry, Ima. My brain wanted to know what was inside," he looked at his mother with his best puppy eyes.

Ziva walked around to where the little boy was sitting; she put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, "I forgive you. Just remember that you will be opening only one door per day until Christmas." _He is his father's child_ , she noted to herself.


	2. Apples - 2028

Chapter 2: Apples - 2028

"Why are we getting apples?" eight-year-old Rivka asked her older sister. "I thought Ima and Abba said we would be getting presents every day until Christmas."

Fourteen-year-old Tali sighed, "An apple is a present you know. So is a toy or some candy or even a special note from the giver."

"Apples have lots of meaning for the winter holidays too," added eleven-year-old Anthony. "They were among the first decorations to be hung on the seasonal tree a long time ago."

"Like when Abba was my age?" seven-year-old LJ quipped. Ziva had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud; she was listening to the conversation in the family room from the hallway.

"Older than that; much older!" Anthony shot back. "Abba is nowhere near as old as the tradition of using apples as decorations on Christmas trees."

Beth looked at her twin, "We also have applesauce that Ima makes from fresh apples for our Chanukah latkes. I like the applesauce with cinnamon that she makes the best of all."

"Well, I am glad I got the yellow apple instead of Anthony's green one; I think the apples _he_ likes are nasty," Riv grimaced at the thought of the tart Granny Smith apple's taste.

Tali pointed to the five distinctly different apples that each child had received in the "countdown basket" that morning. "We all got different types of apples. Anthony has his Granny Smith apple which is less sweet than most types; it is probably the tartest of all the varieties. I got a red delicious apple; it is crunchy and mildly sweet. Riv's is the golden delicious. It is also crunchy and sweeter than the red. Beth has a Fuji apple; it is one of the sweetest varieties of apples. LJ has a gala apple; it is extremely sweet but not as sweet as the Fuji."

"How do you know so much about apples, Tali?" LJ was in awe of his big sister's knowledge.

"Remember that science project I did two springs ago about apples for the science fair? I was in seventh grade then," Tali grinned at her little brother. "Ima bought all those different types for us to try at the farmers' market over the summer."


	3. Chocolates - 2027

Chapter 3: Chocolate 2027

Tony unpacked the order from the chocolate shop that he'd placed a few days earlier. Since it was his turn to fill the kids' countdown baskets, he decided to give Christmas chocolates to each person. The kids always looked forward to receiving their favorite candies as stocking stuffers and countdown favors.

Since the McGee family would be having dinner with them that afternoon, Tony ordered chocolates for them as well. What he didn't tell anyone, not even Ziva, is that he also included the adults in the chocolate countdown day.

It worked out perfectly that Ziva and Delilah decided to take the kids to see an early afternoon performance of _The Nutcracker_ at the local Arts Center especially designed for children. They'd gone for brunch beforehand giving Tony plenty of time to get the chocolate gifts into the reusable gift bags and sorted into the correct baskets for everyone. Tim had passed on the ballet, using finishing the paperwork on a newly wrapped up case as an excuse.

He dug through the box in Ziva's office to find more gift bags for the adults and McGee kids. They'd lucked out three years ago at an after-Christmas sale and bought thirty-eight Christmas-themed, reusable, fabric gift bags with drawstring closures at eighty percent off the original price. Five of them became the go-to for wrapping the small gifts and food for the kids' countdown to Christmas each year. Each DiNozzo had a basket that was placed on the kitchen counter by a wooden calendar to which each number was added as the day began.

He added the number three to the first slot in the second week on the blank calendar. Then he placed the colorful bags with their chocolate surprises in each of his offspring's baskets. He added the additional six bags for the McGee family and for Ziva and himself to the end of the line, giving a satisfied smirk at his handiwork.

He sat down at his computer to place an order for one of Ziva's gifts online and browsed the website for things to add to his own wish list. When Tony's phone chimed with the reminder to put the two casseroles in the oven for dinner, he closed the browser and headed to the kitchen from his office. He'd just put the second pan in the oven when Tim came in the front door.

"Hey, Tim," Tony placed the oven mitts on the counter next to the ovens and greeted his brother. "Want to watch the OSU game while we wait for everyone?"

"Hi, Tony; yeah, that works for me," the younger man replied. He noticed the full baskets and the extra bags on the counter by the bar stools. "Wow! Your kids actually left their countdown gifts unopened?"

"Nope, I didn't put them out until after they left," Tony grinned. "I figured that way Ziva could get them all out for their brunch faster than if we had to shoo them away from their goodies."

Tim pointed to the extra bags and gave his brother a questioning look.

" _Everyone_ gets a present today; even you… but no peeking!" A full on DiNozzo grin accompanied the playful warning. "We'll all open them together later on."

Tim shrugged and followed Tony to the family room to watch the game and wait for the women and children to arrive home. The game went to half-time at about the same time the front door opened, and the seven kids ran inside with Ziva and Delilah behind them.

"Abba, we saw the giant nutcracker," LJ ran into the family room still in his winter jacket. "I got to move his lever and he gave me a chocolate coin." LJ held up the shiny coin that looked suspiciously like the Chanukah gelt that Ziva bought at the membership warehouse shopping each December.

"LJ, please go hang your jacket on your hook by the front door," Ziva reminded her youngest before she brushed her lips on Tony's. "You should have come; it was very well done."

"I did some things around the house," he returned the kiss and reminded his better half that he finished their weekend chores.

"Abba, can we open our countdown presents now?" Rivka called from the kitchen where she, Beth, Anthony, John, and Katie were eying the line of bags on the counter.

"Is everyone ready? Where's Tali?" Tony entered the kitchen followed by Ziva and Tim. "Where is Dee?"

"Here I am," Delilah rolled into the kitchen from the hallway. "Tali went to her room to change her shirt. Someone bumped into her when we had the cookies and punch after _The Nutcracker_ ; she spilled her punch on her top."

Tony turned to the other six kids, "As soon as Tali gets in the kitchen we will _all_ open our gifts." While they waited, Ziva checked the casseroles and noted the amount of time left on the timer that Tony had set when he put them into the oven. She slid the tray of rolls into the second oven to warm them.

"Hurry up, Tali!" Beth ran to the hallway to the children's rooms to check on her big sister. "We are waiting for _you_ so we can open countdown gifts!"

Tali opened her bedroom door and took her time walking to the kitchen; at thirteen, getting excited about countdown gifts was not cool. "Chill, little sister; it's not like the bags with our gifts are going to disappear…" She cut off the rest of what she was about to say when she noticed the 'Ima glare' coming her way.

LJ jumped up from the chair in the breakfast nook excitedly, "Yeah! Everybody is here so now we can open the gifts, right Ima?" His hand reached for his bag with the image of a lion and a lamb under a shiny star.

"Slow down, mister impatient; we need to give our guests _their_ bags before anyone opens anything," Tony reminded the six-year-old. "Please take this one to Aunt Dee," he handed LJ the forest green bag with white stenciled Christmas trees on the sides.

LJ grabbed the bag and skipped over to his aunt, "This one is for you." He handed it to her with a signature DiNozzo grin.

"Thank you, LJ."

Tony had Anthony give Katie her dark and light pink striped bag with a princess crown appliqued on one side. Rivka gave John the bright blue bag with R2-D2 printed on one side. Tony handed the bag that looked like a laptop computer to Tim and the one with the Star of David and an outline of Israel to Ziva. Beth picked up the final loose bag, black with a white stenciled camera and movie reel, and held it out to her Abba with her left hand while holding her own red and panda-themed bag in the other hand.

Once Rivka had her blue bag with Winnie the Pooh embroidered on one side, Anthony had his that resembled an orange basketball, and Tali had her bag that had a black and white musical theme, Tony signaled for everyone to open their bags.

"Thank you, Uncle Tony! How did you _know_ that Snickers are my favorite of all?" Katie hugged her uncle with a huge smile.

"Yeah, thanks Uncle Tony," John held up the package of chocolate-covered gummy robot shapes for everyone to see. "I love gummies and I love chocolate; this is the best ever."

LJ held out the package of his favorites, the caramel patties with dark chocolate. "My favorite!" He started tearing the bag open only to be stopped by Ziva.

" _After_ dinner, LJ," she reminded him. "We have loaded mac-and-cheese and chicken and rice casseroles in the oven for dinner, plus your favorite potato dinner rolls."

"Let's eat now so I can have my candy," he replied with a smile. "What did you get, Tali?"

Tali showed her brother the milk chocolate flavored with orange and formed into a ball shape that resembled the fruit, "Abba _knows_ my favorite! Toda, Abba." The teen hugged her father tightly; memories from Christmases past filled both of their minds. Their first Christmas together had been Tali's introduction to the seasonal favorite; Tony bought one for his daughter on impulse two days before the holiday and it had been scarfed up by all of them within a day.

"Yes! Semi-sweet dark with almonds and raisins," Anthony fist-pumped as he opened his treat. "I _know_ I won't have to share with anyone, well, maybe just Ima…"

"White chocolate peppermint bark! Thank you, Abba," Riv ran over to hug her father with a huge grin on her face. "I can't wait to have some for dessert." She looked over at her twin, "Did you get your favorite too?"

Beth nodded and grinned as she held up her package of milk chocolate fudge covered with mini-marshmallows and colored sprinkles. "Abba is so smart 'cause he remembers everyone's favorites. Thanks, Abba."

"Oh. My. God!" Tim laughed out loud when he tugged the package of milk chocolate covered Nutter Butters from his bag. "I didn't even know they made such a thing; these look awesome. I am going to have to pace myself so I can savor them. Thanks, Tony!"

Delilah grinned as she realized the contents of her bag, "Ooh, thank you, Tony. I _love_ Milky Way Midnight bars!"

Tony shared a look with Tim and grinned, "I know; Timmy boy told me the story of going out at three in the morning looking for them when you had a pregnancy craving." He glanced over at Ziva; she was just opening her gift bag.

"Tony; you didn't…" Ziva grinned and pulled him to her for a kiss as she held up the package of mixed chocolate candies with a variety of fillings. On the front of the box read: 'For the chocoholic who can't decide…'

"It _is_ so you," he grinned. "As soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant for you."

"So, what did you get for yourself?" Tim queried his brother.

"You need to ask, McBrother? Of course, I got my favorite; the milk chocolate with toffee chips," Tony replied as the oven timers sounded. "Let's eat dinner so we can all pig out on chocolate!"


	4. Chrismukkah 2024

Chapter 4: Chrismukkah 2024

The first night of Chanukah fell on Christmas night; Tony and Ziva had already let the other extended family know that they would be lighting the menorah at sundown and having the traditional latkes and applesauce for dinner that night. They'd invited all who wanted to attend to join them at home after the day at Gibbs' house.

Anthony's questions earlier in the day had led to an internet search on Ziva's part to find an answer. He'd asked if it was unusual for the first night of Chanukah to fall on Christmas day. She remembered that the two had coincided her first year at NCIS in 2005 but did not remember any others since. Her research verified what she remembered. The coinciding of the holidays prior to 2005 had been in 1959, well before either she or Tony were born.

As the family prepared for the lighting of the menorah for the first night, Ziva told the family what she'd discovered about the coincidence of the holidays. "With eight occurrences in one hundred and twenty-five years counting the current year, Christmas day and Chanukah coincide about once every fifteen to sixteen years. That includes the first day being Christmas day; in other words, the first lighting of the candles is on Christmas Eve. The last time Chanukah's first night was on Christmas night was the same year that Abba and I first worked together. That was 2005. The next time will be in 2054."

"Wow, Ima, we will be _old_ when that happens again!" Anthony responded. "We could be parents and you could be grandparents by then. Tali will be _forty_! Ima and Abba will be…" He stopped when his mother put her finger on his lips and then smirked at his big sister who chose to ignore her brother's teasing.

Tony smirked at Ziva; she'd started it by giving the kid years to consider in the future. He was about to make a comment when the front door opened. The McGee family entered to join the celebration. Tony handed Tim and John kippahs and Delilah pulled her scarf over her head. The McGees had joined the DiNozzos in at least one night of Chanukah for the past three years.

"Happy Chrismukkah!" Tony had to get the pop-culture TV reference in; he grinned at the family as Ziva rolled her eyes. He _was_ predictable though; he'd managed the reference every year since 2005 that he and Ziva had been in the same country.

Ziva's phone chimed with the five minutes before sundown alarm that she'd set. She motioned for everyone to gather around the menorah on the dining room side table. She began the special first night prayer as the family settled around her.

Tony continued with the blessing of the candles that is said each night. Ziva lit the shammash candle and then used it to light the first night's candle.

As the kids played dreidel games, Ziva and Tony fried the latkes in hot oil and handed off plates of food to Tim and Dee to place on the table with the applesauce.

"Chag urim sameach!" Ziva declared as she and Tony carried their plates to the table to join the others.


	5. Giving

Chapter 5: Giving – 2032

"I just think that we should _each_ sponsor a family for Christmas this year," eighteen-year-old Tali was making her case to her siblings. "Yeah, in previous years, we've helped Ima and Abba with the families they chose, but we all have some form of income this year."

"Yeah, I agree," Anthony thought about the money he'd earned over the year with the photography sessions and event photoshoots. He could certainly afford to sponsor a family for the holidays.

LJ nodded his agreement, "I have enough and then some with the cash prizes I won in the art contests this year. I'm in to sponsor a family also."

Riv and Beth shared a look; they'd earned money babysitting since the spring. "Between us, we can sponsor one family," Beth added. "Maybe two; we'll have to look at how much we need."

"I can help you if you need," Tali offered to her younger sisters. "That way you can each help one family; if we _all_ choose a family each, then we will have seven families total that will have a better holiday!"

The almost thirteen-year-olds grinned and replied together, "Thanks, Tali."

Anthony looked up from his tablet, "I want to do more than just the suggested two-hundred-dollar amount that buys a Christmas dinner, a few toys, basic clothing, and maybe a treat or two. I want to buy them more food either by getting staples and canned goods or by grocery store gift cards or both. I can afford up to five hundred dollars. I just checked my account balances. Who's in with me?"

"I like that idea; and you all can put whatever money you were going to spend on a gift for me towards helping a family," Tali grinned at her brother. Anthony had come up with an excellent idea. "Let's share our ideas with Ima and Abba at dinner."

"I'm in on Anthony's idea; and Tali's idea about skipping gifts to each other to help our chosen families," LJ replied. "I have to get Ima to check my account balance, but I am pretty sure I have enough."

The three looked at their twin sisters; Riv and Beth shared a look before Riv replied.

"I have about three hundred fifty dollars to use," she looked to her older sister.

"I will cover the other hundred and fifty. What about you, Beth?"

The almost teen pulled up her account on her phone, "I have four hundred dollars."

Tali nodded, "I have the additional hundred for you. So, it's agreed that we each adopt a family and spend about five hundred dollars getting the things on their wish lists, a holiday dinner, and groceries for the family we choose. I'll start the conversation with Ima and Abba at dinner; you all can back me up and add your ideas. Sound good?"

All four of the younger DiNozzos gave their big sister a signature DiNozzo grin and a thumb's up gesture. They were excited about helping families that were in need. In addition, plans were already in place for the annual visit to kids in the area hospitals with the NCIS employees and retirees' annual tradition. Anthony had been selected to be one of three teen Santas this year; he was beyond excited to make the step up from helper elf to full Santa role for the first time.

At dinner, Tali waited until most of the family had finished eating before broaching the subject. "Ima, Abba, you know how we always choose two families from the Angel Tree or the Giving Tree to sponsor for the holidays?"

Ziva nodded as did Tony; both wondered where Tali was headed with the conversation.

She gestured to her siblings, "We've already discussed this and this year we'd like to do something different."

"We've always sponsored a family or two, Tals," Tony cut in. "I thought we voted as a family to continue that tradition indefinitely?"

Tali nodded, "We _did_ , Abba. Hear me out. What we discussed to change is that we adopt a family _each_ this year. We all have had some income this year, be it from jobs or winning prizes. We can each afford to adopt a family." She looked to her siblings.

Anthony continued the conversation, "What we want to do is get the usual holiday dinner, the basics, and toys requested _plus_ add in more groceries and or grocery store gift cards. That way the families will have food for more than just the holiday; maybe some special treats for them as well. I proposed that we look at spending about five hundred per family instead of the usual two hundred."

"And you can still pick two families so that we will sponsor a total of seven this year," LJ chimed in. "Ima, can we check my balances later so I can be sure I have enough?"

Tali looked to her parents, "We also collectively decided not to buy gifts for each other so that money could be used to help the families."

"Wow!" Tony was in awe of his kids' generosity and thoughtfulness. "I'm speechless… I absolutely love this idea. What do you think Zi?"

Ziva was as stunned as her husband, "That I am so proud of my children at the moment and that I am totally on board with this plan. I think it is a wonderful idea."


	6. Candy Canes

Chapter 6: Candy Canes - 2023

"Why do I have the feeling that leaving the children with the guys is going to result in mayhem?" Delilah backed her minivan out of the DiNozzo driveway as she and Ziva headed to a holiday baking exhibition in Annapolis. "Seven kids, two big kids watching them, what can go wrong?"

"If we think about it too much, we will not go to the baking show," Ziva commented dryly. "We have to trust Tony and Tim at some point; they _are_ good fathers to the children. I do have to admit, though, there has been a time or two that I thought Asher would be a better sitter."

Delilah chuckled, "We know our men too well!" She turned onto the ramp to the interstate; both women hoped for no surprises when they came back home in four hours or so.

~DiNozzo~

"Who wants to play Xbox?" Tony called to the kids. "We are going to start a group game for anyone who wants to play!" He handed a controller to Tim as he powered up the main unit. Anthony and John came into the family room, followed by the others.

Anthony looked at his father and uncle, "What game?"

"We want the princess game!" Riv crossed her arms and stared down her older brother.

"Yeah, no stupid boy games for us girls," Katie added, glaring at her twin.

John and Anthony shared a look; John sighed. "If we play _any_ dumb princess game, Anthony and I are history!" He glared back at his sister.

Tony rolled his eyes at Tim; there was no happy medium for the five middle kids. "Okay, I can see this is not going to be easy to get everyone on the same page. How about the girls play the princess game on the Xbox in the playroom? Tal? You good with keeping an eye on them?"

Tali shrugged, "Yep; I'll probably read though, if that's okay." The four girls followed Tony back to the playroom where he got the princess game started and handed each one a controller.

Tim and the boys chose a race game for the males. "LJ, are you going to play too?"

The two-year-old nodded in excitement as Tim handed him a controller.

"Uncle Tim, he doesn't know how to play," Anthony explained. "Usually Abba or Ima helps him."

"Helps who with what?" Tony entered the family room at the tail end of the conversation.

"Helps LJ with the race car game," Tim responded. "I can help him if you want."

Tony nodded, "We can take turns as long as he is interested. That okay with you, big guy?" He looked over at LJ grinning at the controller in his hands.

"Yep; Unka Tim hep LJ!"

The guys played the race car game with Tim and Tony helping LJ until he lost interest after about twenty minutes and wandered to the playroom. He sat with Tali on the loveseat as she read some of his favorite story books. They were about to start a third book when LJ shook his head.

"No, Tali; me hungee."

Riv heard the mention of food and soon the three younger girls were also discussing a snack.

"Let me go ask Abba," Tali replied the younger kids. She headed to the family room with the others following behind.

Tony and Tim were in a head-to-head high-speed race; John and Anthony had given up after crashing their cars multiple times. Both were sitting on the sofa watching their fathers.

"Abba?" Tali tried not to disrupt the game.

"Yeah?' Tony didn't look from the screen as he skidded his car around a turn.

"Is it okay if we have a snack?"

Tony nodded, absently replying, "Yeah, sure… just remember to clean up the kitchen when you're done."

Anthony and John followed Tali and the other kids to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, "We have apple juice, orange juice, fruit punch, chocolate milk, and lemonade in the little bottles. Tell me what you want…" All the kids chose the chocolate milk.

Tali opened the pantry; Beth spotted an unopened multi-pack of forty-eight candy canes that Ziva bought at the warehouse store for Tali and Anthony to take to their classroom holiday parties. She carried the entire set of boxes to the table so the kids could all reach them. Riv grabbed the bag of snack-sized packets of chips and pretzels, while John spied a large bag of gummi bears.

Anthony and Tali grabbed bags of semi-sweet chocolate morsels and white chocolate morsels while Katie spied a bag of miniature marshmallows. The kids laid out their feast on the dining room table and looked over the items.

"Mom makes fudge with chips and marshmallows," Katie looked at Tali.

Tali thought a minute, went into the kitchen to get a casserole dish that fit in the microwave and a spoon, and returned to the dining room. "Anthony, ask Abba if we can use the microwave."

"Okay," he walked to the family room, "Abba, Tali wants to know if we can use the microwave."

"Yeah, sure. Tell Tali to be sure to use the potholders," Tony figured the kids wanted to make popcorn and he knew Tali could be trusted to do so. He and Tim were wrapped up in the race game advanced levels. The current race was a night race, and both were concentrating on the screen to avoid obstacles hidden in the dark.

Anthony ran back to the dining room, where the kids had dumped the miniature marshmallows, both bags of chocolate morsels, half of a bottle of chocolate milk, and two packages of broken candy canes into the casserole dish.

"Abba said okay," he informed his big sister. "Whatcha making?"

"Fudge," Katie and Tali answered together.

"With candy cane pieces," John added. " _If_ the others would stop eating the candy canes that I smashed…" He handed LJ an unwrapped whole candy cane. As Tali carefully carried the dish to the microwave, the others also unwrapped candy canes.

"Ima uses a wooden spoon when she makes fudge," Tali rummaged in the utensils drawer and found what she wanted. "I wonder how long to heat it?"

The other kids shrugged; John suggested five minutes. That seemed reasonable to Tali, so she pressed the appropriate keys on the keypad and then pressed start. All seven watched the mixture melt and then bubble through the window on the appliance door and the clear glass of the casserole dish. They munched their candy canes as they watched.

Beth ran to the dining room to get another box of eight candy canes, handing one to each of the others before taking her own. She slipped the eighth cane into the pocket of her hoodie.

The microwave beeped; Tali carefully removed the casserole dish with the mixture and set it on the counter. She stirred with the spoon, slopping a bit of the melted concoction on the counter. Some of the chocolate bits had not melted fully so she placed the dish back it the microwave for another two minutes. At about one minute in, the mixture started climbing the sides of the dish. Tali quickly hit the stop on the keypad and then slowly opened the microwave. A little bit had spilled over the sides. She left the microwave door open as she moved the dish to the counter again.

LJ spied the spilled chocolate from the first time Tali stirred the mix. It was starting to solidify and cool; he ran his finger in the chocolate and licked it.

"Good!" he grinned at his big sister. Riv, John, and Anthony took spoons from the drawer and scooped the spilled mix from the inside of the microwave.

Tali used the wooden spoon to even out the mix in the casserole dish as she had seen her Ima do with fudge. "Now we have to let it cool down so we can eat it," she announced to the others.

Katie opened a new package of candy canes and distributed them to the others to eat while they waited for their 'fudge' to be cool enough to eat. Tali carried the casserole dish to the table and placed it on a hot pad. Anthony handed spoons to those who didn't already have one.

After fifteen minutes of waiting and munching candy canes, Anthony and John got impatient. Both boys dipped their spoons in the fudgy mix. It was still warm, but didn't burn their mouths when they popped the spoons in. Beth and LJ were next to take a spoonful.

Soon all seven were scooping the fudgy mix and devouring their creation. It was more like a thick stew in consistency, but they didn't care. It _was_ chocolate and tasted good. The seven soon cleaned the dish of the chocolate concoction and polished off half of the bag of gummies; John had tried dipping them in the chocolate and the others followed. All but one box of candy canes were gone.

The children drifted back to the playroom as their bellies filled and they could eat no more. Anthony and John were the last two at the table. They left their spoons and joined the other kids in the playroom.

In the family room, Tony and Tim had taken the race game to levels never before reached. Both were so intent on the game that neither one had paid much attention to the kids. The current level was a race in a snowstorm; Tim had used all but one of his lives and Tony had two to go.

"ABBA!" Beth called out to her father. "My tummy hurts."

Katie was behind her cousin, "Daddy, I feel sick to my stomach."

Beth moaned softly as her twin ran into the family room, "Abba, LJ barfed on the floor in the playroom!"

Tony and Tim dropped their game controllers and rushed to the kids. They followed the three girls to the playroom where Tali was trying to clean up the floor. Tony ran back to the kitchen to grab some paper towels and noticed the dining room table. What on earth had the kids done?

He returned to the playroom; Tim and Tali had cleaned up most of the mess. "What did you eat?" he looked over at Tali.

"We made fudge," she answered. "And we ate it all…"

"Oh. LJ, you okay, buddy?" The little boy nodded; his tummy didn't hurt as much since he threw up.

Tony motioned for everyone to follow him to the dining room; Tim's jaw fell open at the sight of the mess on the table.

"We gotta clean this up before Ima comes home," Tony looked at the kids. "ALL of it; we can't leave any sign at all…"

Ziva's voice startled Tony, Tim, and the kids, "Any sign of what?" She stopped in her tracks as she turned the corner into the dining room. "Oh my god; what on earth…"

Dee rolled up behind Ziva, "What the… John Anthony McGee, Kaitlyn Sarah McGee, did you have a hand in this?" She turned to face her husband, "Timothy Farragut McGee!" Tim gulped and opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

Ziva glared at her big child, "Anthony D. DiNozzo, Junior; what _were_ you thinking?"

"I… I…"

"Ima, Abba and Uncle Tim didn't have anything to do with this," Tali confessed. "It was all just us kids."

Ziva took a deep breath in, "And _why_ did Abba not?"

"TIM?" Delilah glared at her big child.

"Um… we… um… got… caught up…" Tim started to explain.

Tony gave Ziva a sheepish look, "In a game on the Xbox…" He looked at his brother with a dejected expression. "Tim and I will clean it up…"


	7. Hot Chocolate and Cookies

Chapter 7: Hot Chocolate and Cookies – 2027

Ziva checked the shopping list to make sure she had all she needed to get for the holiday cookie baking on her list. The list of types of cookies had grown since the Sunday after Thanksgiving when she'd placed a small whiteboard on the side of the fridge. Chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, snickerdoodles, Linzer tarts, sugar cookies, almond balls, egg-white cookies, spritz (cookie press) shapes, madeleines, bear paw cookies, and anise drops – the complete list included family and individual favorites. Everyone had promised to help with the baking, and Ziva planned to hold them to their promises.

The oven timer sounded, pulling her from her thoughts. The breakfast quiches were ready to take from the oven and placed on wire racks to set and cool before serving. No sooner did she place the two quiches on the cooling racks than the kitchen was invaded by her hungry family.

"Smells good," Tony nuzzled her neck from behind as the kids set the table and got their breakfast beverages. "And I may not be talking about the food…" he whispered in her ear.

"We have a _lot_ to get done today," Ziva turned and brushed her lips across her husband's. "Who are you taking with you?"

"Don't know," he slipped his hands into oven mitts and carried the spinach and ham quiche to the table. Ziva followed with the bacon and mushroom quiche. At the table, she cut each egg pie into eight wedges, plating one of each for each person.

Tony retrieved his coffee mug from the counter, topping it off before grabbing Ziva's large mug of tea. He placed both to the table next to the glasses of orange juice at their places.

"Quiches are good, Ima," Anthony had nearly finished one slice of his breakfast already and was eying the two remaining pieces in the pie pans. The ten-year-old could pack away the food; Ziva didn't mind the growing boy eating almost as much food as his father.

"Thank you, Anthony," Ziva smiled across the table at her elder son. She turned to the others, "We have a lot of errands to do today, plus weekend chores. Abba is going to the warehouse club to get some groceries and other things, plus to the Christmas tree lot to pick up our tree, wreaths, and mistletoe. I am going to the grocery store and the superstore for groceries and other things.

"I will need at least two helpers at the stores," she added.

Tony swallowed a bite of quiche, "I will need at least one helper for my errands. Who wants to go with me?"

LJ spoke first, "I want to go with you, Ima. I went with Abba last week."

"I'll go with Abba," Riv volunteered and looked at her twin with a question in her eyes.

Tali spoke next, "Is it okay if I stay here to do my chores? I have bathrooms this week and it would be easier for me if I could clean while everyone else is out."

Ziva nodded, "That is fine with me; Tony?" She looked over at the children's father; he nodded his agreement.

'I'll go with you, Ima," Anthony offered. "I like pushing the shopping cart for you."

"Good, we will probably need two carts today!"

Beth looked at her parents, and then at Tali. "Could I stay home with Tali? I have the vacuuming this week and it would be easier to do when others are out."

Tony looked to his oldest daughter, "You okay with that, Tals?"

"Yep; we can also start the dough for the sugar cookies and the Linzer tarts or any of the other ones that need to be refrigerated after mixing," Tali offered to her Ima. "I don't mind doing that to help get the baking started."

Ziva agreed to the plan, "I think we have a plan for the day. Tali, I will go through the ingredients we have already and figure out which ones you can work on the dough after we finish eating."

After the breakfast cleanup, Ziva helped Tali get the ingredients out on the counter to make the dough for the sugar cookies and for the spritz cookies. Tony and Rivka headed out to do their errands as did Ziva and the boys. Tali and Beth completed the weekend chores on their lists for the weekend and mixed the doughs in the stand mixer. Both balls of dough were put in covered bowls and refrigerated. Tali was wiping down the countertops when Anthony came in from the garage with bags of groceries. LJ and Ziva followed with more bags; Ziva asked Tali and Beth to help carry in the remaining bags in the van. In all they had thirty-five bags full of their regular shopping plus the supplies for cookie baking.

~DiNozzo~

A week later, Ziva helped LJ slide the last of the chocolate chip cookies from the baking sheet to the cooling racks. The kid grinned from ear to ear; this year had been the first year Ima let him help with the baking. Tali and Rivka were dusting the Linzer tarts with powdered sugar at the breakfast nook table, Anthony, Beth, and Tony were dipping the bear claw cookies and madeleines in melted dark, milk, or white chocolate at another part of the counter. Tins of finished cookies lined a shelf in the garage to be shared with family and friends. A separate section held containers of cookies for their family, including a special tin for the family's traditional post tree decorating snack of hot chocolate and cookies.

Ziva glanced around the kitchen; Tony caught her gaze and grinned his signature DiNozzo grin. This was the true meaning of Christmas: family and memories in the making.


	8. Ice Skating

Chapter 8: Ice Skating - 2031

Tony peeked out of his office door; Ziva was still wrapping gifts in her office… good, his plan was to sneak his stack of boxes out without her seeing them. He took five of the ten larger boxes, all the same size and shape to the family room and arranged them under the tree, checking that the tags were still attached to the wrapping paper on each one. He returned to his office for the second stack of large boxes and repeated the process. The ten included his family of seven and three of the four McGees; his own tag read 'To Tony, From Santa.' Delilah was the only one not included in this set of gifts. Her larger box was a slightly smaller and different shape, but its contents would be used with the others.

A third trip to his office to get the stack of eleven long, flat boxes finished his sneaking past his wife. The smaller boxes included one for Dee; all eleven had identical contents except for the name of the recipient. Satisfied his gifts to the family were arranged the way he wanted, Tony headed back to his office to finish writing the card for Ziva. He nearly collided with his wife as she exited her office with a stack of brightly wrapped boxes that blocked her vision.

"Whoa, Ninja!" he reached out to stop the pile from toppling. "Wouldn't want you dropping my gifts on the floor," he joked.

Ziva chuckled, " _None_ of these are for you, my little hairy butt…" At his disappointed look, she added, " _Your_ gift will be placed under the tree later; when I _know_ you will not be able to try to peek or try to figure out what it is."

"Oh… what time are the McFamily arriving in the morning?"

"I invited them for brunch at 1000. Everyone else will be here around 1300. Why?"

Tony grinned, "Just making sure one of _my_ secret plans will work… and no peeking or guessing to try to find out."

~DiNozzo~

Just before 1000, the McGees walked in the front door; Tim and the kids each had a pile of presents and Delilah had two insulated food totes in her lap. She wheeled to the kitchen where Ziva was just pulling the biscuits from the oven. Tony was stirring the sausage gravy simmering in a crockpot.

"Merry Christmas!" Dee placed the two totes on the counter. "Two dozen scrambled eggs in one and four pounds of bacon in the other. I hope it's enough for our hungry gang."

"I have two dozen biscuits plus the sausage gravy," Ziva hugged her sister of the heart. "If anyone is still hungry after all this food, we have bread and peanut butter and jelly."

Tali entered the kitchen, "Mmm, smells delicious, Ima. Merry Christmas everyone!" She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and placed it on the counter next to the coffee maker. "Anyone else want coffee?"

Tony slid his mug onto the counter for his daughter to top off; Tim and Dee replied to the affirmative, so he then took two more mugs from the cabinet. Tim meanwhile headed to the family room to let the others know that brunch was ready.

"I have my tea; thank you anyway," Ziva placed the biscuits in two covered baskets to take to the table. Anthony slid into his seat at the table as she placed a basket on each end. He was quickly followed by his younger siblings and cousins.

Tony carried the crockpot to the table and set it in front of his place. Ziva and Delilah put the eggs and bacon on hot pads on the table.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Ziva started passing plates with opened biscuits to her husband for gravy. Soon all eleven were enjoying the holiday brunch.

Tony tapped his orange juice glass with his fork, "Attention DiNozzos and McGees… after brunch and cleanup, we have a _special_ gift opening in the family room. Be there!" He grinned at the others as he took a sip of juice.

Thirty minutes later the group was assembled in the family room; brunch dishes were in the dishwasher getting cleaned, a fresh pot of coffee was brewing, and the ovens were preheating for baking the lasagna for dinner. The pets were resting nearby. The two dogs were slowing down with age; the two remaining cats – Callie and Lightning - were content to sleep under the piano.

Tony donned the Santa hat reserved for the person handing out gifts. He stacked the large boxes from under the tree that he'd placed there the night before. Dee's slightly smaller box was on top of the pile.

"Wow, Abba, are all of those boxes the same?" LJ observed the stack.

"Alike, but not exactly the same, and Aunt Dee's is related," Tony replied with a grin. "Each one of us has a large box and a small box. I will bring them to you, but we open them _together_. Large boxes first, then the smaller ones. Any questions?"

"Yeah, Abba, why the mystery?" Rivka questioned.

"Because this is a surprise for everyone." Tony placed a large and a small box in front of each person and then took his two boxes over by Ziva on the loveseat. "Okay, on the count of three, open your large box… one… two… three… GO!"

Paper tore and flew to the floor; as the wrapping was shed, each person discovered a box with a picture of ice skates inside. Tim managed to be the first to get his box open; the black figure skates smelled of new leather and the blades glinted in the light.

"ICE SKATES!" LJ, Katie, Beth, and Rivka all spoke together, as Delilah held up a pair of insulated winter boots and a lap blanket.

"You even have the correct size," Tim commented as he admired the new skates. "How'd you do that?"

"Wasn't easy…" Tony smirked at the others. "I've been stalking your shoes since August to get sizes…"

Beth looked at her father, "So where are we going to go skating, Abba?"

"That will be answered when we open the small, flat boxes," he responded. "Same as before…. One… two… three… GO!"

Ziva was the first one to get her box open this time, "Oh. My. Gosh. Tony, this is so incredible!"

Dee looked at the contents of her small box, "Tickets to a two-hour skating session at _Rockefeller Center_!"

"And Top of the Rock tickets for later in the day," John held up his tickets and grinned.

LJ jumped up and fist-pumped the air, "Amtrak tickets to New York Penn Station; we're going on the train! This is awesome, Abba." He ran over to his father and wrapped him in a hug.

Katie grinned at her family, "So where are we going to stay? Or are we coming home the same day?"

"Your dad has the answer to that in his box," Tony was all ear-to-ear DiNozzo grin.

Tim sifted through the tickets and papers in his box; he found the hotel confirmation for his family and held it up, "Overnight stay at a hotel right near Rockefeller Center; it says we have a two bedroom suite and kitchenette plus a living room. This is awesome, Tony. I see it's for Saturday and Sunday."

"Yep."

Ziva read over the hotel reservation sheet in her pile of tickets and papers. "We have a three-bedroom suite; from what the notes at the bottom say, I think our suites are adjacent or across the hall." She looked over at her husband who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "When did you put all this together, Tony? I think it is an awesome gift."

Tali was frowning; Tony got her attention. "I checked with your boss, Tals; he gave you the days off, but promised to keep it a secret until after Christmas. You don't have to worry about the work schedule."

"Toda, Abba. I really want to go, but I was worried that I would have to work." She hugged her father tightly. "Merry Christmas, Abba."


	9. Ornaments

Chapter 9: Ornaments – 2035

"This is harder than I thought," Ziva commented as she and Tony sorted through the annual ornaments for Tali that they'd acquired over the years, including the current year. "Twenty-one ornaments from which to choose just one…"

Tony nodded, "We _could_ just keep them all, you know." He gazed at the ornament for 2017, the year they had started the annual ornament for each child. That year, they'd bought one for Anthony, and one for each Christmas of Tali's life to that point. The 2017 ornament had been custom ordered using a drawing that Tali had created of their family. He held it up, "I really like this one."

"Yes; that is one of my favorites as well. And no, we are not keeping them all. Tali will get twenty ornaments to put on her Christmas tree next year when she and Chaim have their first tree," Ziva was adamant. She wanted each of her children to have their ornaments when they started their own families.

She held up a grand piano shaped ornament that was a picture frame. Inside was a picture of Tali from the piano competition in her eighth-grade year when she'd finished in second place. She'd chosen a difficult piece; Tali had been down on herself for coming in second, but Tony and Ziva were over the moon happy for their eldest in her first competition. The grin on the teen's face with her trophy and check in hand said it all.

"I like this one also," Ziva noted. "I think that was when she realized that she did not _have_ to be perfect. That she only had to give it her best effort. Her playing matured that year."

"Agreed." Tony grasped the 2032 ornament in his hand. Tali in her cap and gown at her graduation from the community college on one side of the cap and diploma shaped double-sided picture frame ornament and at her high school graduation on the reverse. "Another milestone," he commented. "I like this one but not as much as the other two."

Ziva sighed, "You _do_ realize we are choosing _one_ to keep, yes? And then we have to do this again four more times in the future…"

Tony sighed in reply, "Yep. But I don't know why, Tali is an adult after all. She's getting married in February, starting her own family some day down the road… Gah. She'll always be my little girl, Ziva. I don't care if she's twenty-one or sixty-one; she's my baby girl…"

"Okay, depress me even more," Ziva gently punched his arm. "I think I have my choice down to two: 2017 and 2027. What do you think?"

"Hmm… 2017… no… 2027… no… 2017. Yeah definitely 2017," Tony finally decided.

~DiNozzo~ 2037

Tony sorted through the annual ornaments for Anthony; so far, his favorite was the basketball shaped picture frame with a picture of his son at ten in a basketball uniform for the intramural team. The grin on the kid's face was priceless.

"I like that one," Ziva peered over his shoulder. "I also like this one." She held the ornament from 2035 with the picture of her son sliding the promise ring on the woman who was now his wife and soon to be the mother of his child. She flipped the frame over to the picture of one-year-old Anthony cuddling six-month-old Katie, both sound asleep on the DiNozzo family room floor.

"It does capture them both really well," Tony gazed at the picture of the two babies, when had they gone and grown up on him? "I agree, the 2035 ornament is the keeper."

Ziva stared at the images, flipping the ornament over in her hands several times. She sighed and wiped at her eyes.

"My little boy is all grown up and soon he will have a son of his own. Where has the time flown?" she looked over at her husband with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her.

"He's a good man, Ziva, and a lot of that is because you are his Ima."

~DiNozzo~ 2044

Tony carried the large tote with the annual ornaments into the kitchen. He placed it on one of the chairs at the breakfast nook table. Ziva looked up from her tablet screen where she was reading emails.

"I _know_ which ones we won't keep…" Tony smirked at his better half.

"You do?"

"Yep; the ones from 2025 with the pictures from the Princess Tea!"

Ziva chuckled at the memory, "You looked so cute in that princess dress."

He groaned, "I will _never_ live that one down, will I? I swear one of the twins will tell that story at my funeral!"

Ziva laid her hand on his are, "They will tell it with love. How many fathers do you know who would wear a princess dress for a whole tea party brunch with five-year-olds and agree to pictures as well?"

"Yeah; only this Abba is insane enough to do that," Tony smiled at his wife. "They had matching ornaments that year if I remember correctly. Pink frame for Beth and blue or purple frame for Riv."

Ziva dug in the tote and stood up with a triumphant, "Aha!"

Tony cocked an eyebrow at her, 'What?"

"I found them," she held out the pink and purple crown shaped picture frame ornaments. "I think we should keep both."

"Agreed."

~DiNozzo~ 2046

"The end of an era," Tony joked as he and Ziva sorted through the annual ornaments for LJ. "Our baby is married and has a house of his own. He'll be a father soon as well."

"All five married and all five parents or soon to be a parent," Ziva summed up the lives of their offspring. "Do not misinterpret; I love being Savta, but I miss the days of children living in the house."

Tony grinned, "Being Saba means I can spoil them and then send them home. You know, there was a time when the thought of having a child scared the daylights out of me. Tali changed all that the day she walked into Leon's office. The minute I looked at her, I _knew_ she was mine. I loved her from the minute she looked at me." He pulled Ziva's hand into his own and squeezed. "All because I love you…"

She wiped the tear at the corner of his eye, "You _should_ have known her sooner… I will always be sorry for that…"

Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva, "Do I wish I had been there from day one with Tali? Yes, but Ziva, our story has unfolded just the way it was meant to be. Four of five from start to who knows, and hey, I _had_ to be at Tali's start…

"Back to LJ; what ornament are we going to keep from his collection?" he placed two of his favorites on the table. The 2023 ornament shaped like a lion with a picture of LJ clutching his lion asleep in his grandfather's arms was a family favorite. The 2031 carved wood lion ornament that LJ made in summer art camp was another.

Ziva poked around in the box; she found the ornament she wanted. From 2041, the picture in the 'Best Uncle' frame had LJ with Anthony's twins, one in each arm, and the three little boys – Tali's Levi and Elijah, and Anthony's Anthony IV – all asleep on the floor by the loveseat in the family room on Mothers' Day.

"As much as I love that carved lion, since we kept ornaments with photos for the other four, I think we should also keep one with a photograph for LJ," Ziva reasoned. "I will admit that between these two, that is a tough choice."

Tony looked back and forth between the two, "I think the one from 2023. We will have other memories made with LJ and the little ones; plus, they are changing daily."

"Hmm… I agree. The 2023 also honors the special bond between LJ and his Grandpa Gibbs," Ziva put the other two back into the tote and set the 2023 ornament to the side. "What was that song you sang to the kids when they were little about circles?"

" _The Circle of Life_ from _The Lion King_?" Tony sang part of the chorus to remind Ziva.

"Yes! That is the one. Our circle of life has been passed to the next generation, yes?"

"I prefer to think of it as the new circle that is around the one for our little family, which is around the one for you and me, sweetcheeks. Concentric circles that make an ever-widening pattern of family, our _circles of life_!" he sang the last three words as he pulled Ziva to him.


	10. Mistletoe

Chapter 10: Mistletoe - 2029

Tony carried the step ladder from the garage into the kitchen. Ziva and the three younger kids were out grocery shopping. Anthony and Tali were at basketball and band practices, respectively. It was the perfect day to hang his mistletoe around the house. He put the checklist he'd printed that morning on the counter.

Over kitchen sink

Over microwave

Over coffeemaker

Over bar stools at counter

Over breakfast nook table

Over doorway from garage

Over doorway to dining room

He moved into the dining room; his one concession to his wife was that he only put one or two sprigs in the dining room.

Over Ziva's place at the table

Over the entry to the main hall

On to the living room, he grinned at the memory of their first Christmas in the house. Ziva had not expected him to hang any mistletoe in the living room since they rarely used the room.

Over fireplace by track lighting

Over sofa by the windows

Over doorway to main hallway

In the entry foyer, sprigs went everywhere on his list and two new places.

Over front door

Over coat hooks

Over shoe rack

Over Ziva's coat tree

Over entry to main hallway

On to the playroom, where he used just two sprigs.

Over the loveseat by the windows

Over the entry to foyer

In the main hallway, he hung a spring over the entry to the hallway to the kids' bedrooms and another over the coat closet door. A third sprig hung over the opening to the family room.

Over the loveseat

Over the sofa

Over the recliner

Over the area usually used for playing Xbox games

Over the sliding door to the back yard

Over the piano

Over the entry to the kitchen

Over the entry to the secondary hallway that led to master suite

As he tacked the sprig over the laundry room door, another memory crossed his mind. A bit of fun with just the two of them when the kids were spending the night at the Palmer house. He grinned at the M-rated memory.

Over the laundry room door

Over the washer

Over the dryer

Over the large closet that held towels and cleaning supplies

Another sprig was attached to the ceiling over the short hallway to the offices.

Over Ziva's office door

Over Ziva's desk

Over Tony's office door

Over Tony's desk

He quickly checked how many sprigs remained in the large box before hanging the sprig over the master bedroom doorway.

Over Ziva's dresser

Over Tony's bureau

Over the entry to the master bath

Over Ziva's sink

Over Tony's sink

Over the entry to the walk-in shower

Over the garden tub

Over the entrance to Ziva's closet

Over the entrance to Tony's closet

Over the small table in the sitting area

Over the sliding door to the deck

He paused to weave the final three sprigs together. One sprig for himself, one for Ziva, and the third larger sprig that represented them as a couple. _Out of two became one_ , he thought as he remembered the first year he'd woven the three sprigs together. He'd hung them over the queen-sized bed in Ziva's apartment back when they worked at NCIS. The year of the _post-elevator_ us…

He smiled a wry smile, wondering for a second what their life would be like if she'd stayed in DC the following year instead of fleeing to Israel. All water under the bridge as far as he was concerned; their life together was what counted. Their story had taken a twisted and convoluted path, but he wouldn't change a thing. Not when that path had brought them to what they now had. Nope, he wouldn't trade the odd path he and Ziva had taken for the world.


	11. Assembly Required

Chapter 11: Assembly Required - 2024

Tim looked over at Tony as they attached the final part of the mesh around the trampoline to the supports. It had taken almost three- and one-half hours, but the two men had managed to assemble the trampoline in the McGee backyard. It was the twins' large Christmas present from their parents for that year.

"Hey, I really appreciate your help getting this put together, Tony," Tim fitted the last hook for the mesh into its slot.

"No problem, bro. I figure my kids will be playing on this as much as your two," the older man grinned at his brother. "Plus, your kids come play on our playset all the time, I know the kids do enjoy outdoor activities. We don't have room for a trampoline in the backyard."

"Well, it worked out well that Ziva and Dee planned to get the kids helping make cookies for Santa today."

Tony nodded, "Perfectly. And after we all watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ , it'll be dark when you guys get home, so John and Katie won't suspect at thing."

As the two men put away tools, Tony sent a text message to Ziva that they were headed back for dinner. He and Tim climbed in his truck and made the short drive to the DiNozzo house.

"Thanks again, Tony. One less thing to be assembled for tomorrow is always good," Tim was thinking about the two bikes in cartons that needed to be assembled after the twins were in bed.

"Yeah, I figure Ziva and I will be up until the wee hours of the morning putting stuff together. We have that foosball table for all of them, bikes for the twins, and a play workbench for LJ to put together."

"Good luck with all of them," Tim commented with a smirk. "Must be a challenge when Ziva dives right in while you are reading the instructions."

Tony chuckled, "Ah, McGuesser, it is the exact opposite. Ziva reads the instructions and checks for all the parts and pieces while I just start putting things together based on the picture on the box."

~DiNozzo~

Tony glanced at his watch; 0145… it was officially Christmas day and the foosball table was only about half put together. They'd started with the bikes for the girls; he and Ziva each took a bike from its carton and attached the pedals, handlebars, and seat. Those had been the _easy_ assemblies taking about thirty minutes. Next, they'd tackled the play workbench for LJ. It had seventy-fie parts in all, but some of the were loose play bolts, nuts, and nails that fit in the various holes in the plastic and wood of the toy. Together they had constructed the toy in about an hour.

And then came the major task – assembling the foosball table. Getting the legs and frame connected had been relatively easy; the current task of placing the players on the rods was time-consuming and aggravating. Of course, Ziva had read the instructions while he had tried to just brute force ahead.

"You have to put the rods in one side _before_ you attach the players," Ziva hissed at him when he tried to place the plastic people on the rod first.

"If I don't screw them in place with the set-screw, I can put them on the rod and slide them around to get the rod into the holes on either side," he snapped back at her.

"Fine; _you_ take the red set, and I will take the blue set of players. Let us see who gets done first," she smirked at him as she placed the rod for the blue goalie, slid a stopper, the player, and a second stopper on the rod, and then threaded the rod through the opposite side. "Hand me that offset screwdriver, please."

Tony placed the stoppers and the goalie on the red player rod and maneuvered it into place on the opposite end, He held out his hand, "My turn with the offset screwdriver." He smirked at his wife; both methods had resulted in an installed rod.

"I will get another offset screwdriver from your toolbox," she huffed as he grinned. "That way I do not have to wait for _you_ before I secure the blue players in place." She returned with a second tool as he was securing the second stopper.

They continued placing rods and players in the appropriate set of holes. They were working on the center set of rods when he had glanced at the time. Those rods had five players each; the final set had three players for each team and were placed on the opposing team's side. Ziva was concentrating on getting the setscrew in place. Since the rows were close together, they were just about in each other's faces.

Ziva looked up from her work; Tony was inches away with a glint in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed his better half.

"Merry Christmas, sweetcheeks," he whispered as they broke apart. "There's mistletoe," he pointed towards the ceiling and leaned in for another kiss.

As they broke for air the second time, Ziva chucked his chin, "If we keep this up, we will still be awake when the kids get up at the crack of the dawn." She kissed him again as he murmured, "Mmm-hmm."

They broke for air again, the silent agreement between them to finish assembling the table and then they could partake in any distractions. It took about another hour to get the last rods in place and then add the end caps and handles on each of the eight rods.

"Remind me next year that _assembly required_ means we spend half the night putting gifts together," Tony quipped as he followed Ziva to their room.

"Perhaps you will enjoy the reward of getting the job completed?" she pulled him to her. "Mistletoe," she smirked and pointed upward as they fell on to the bed, arms wrapped around each other.


	12. Parental Sanity

Chapter 12: Parental Sanity - 2023

"Ima, Ima," two-year-old LJ tugged at his mother's coat sleeve. "Want dis!" The little boy pointed to a large metal fire truck with a moving ladder and several firefighter figures. "Me want!"

"IMA!" Beth and Rivka spoke as one as the two almost four-year-old girls pointed to a display of princess costumes.

Riv fingered a blue sequined dress, "I want this blue one, Ima."

"I want the pink one," Beth touched the fabric of the dress she wanted.

Ziva sighed; what had she been thinking when she decided to take three preschoolers shopping less than two weeks before Christmas? All she wanted to do was to buy the items on the Giving Tree list for their adopted family and get out of the store.

"I will make sure that Santa knows these things are on your wish lists," she tried to explain to the kids. "Today, we are shopping for the children in our Giving Tree family. I have a list of extremely specific things that the children want from Santa. _Those_ are the things we are buying today."

"Oh; are they boys or girls?" Riv asked.

"How old are they?" Beth wanted to know.

LJ just grinned at his Ima and pointed to the fire truck again. "Dat!"

"The boy is six and the girl is three," Ziva replied as she steered the shopping cart towards the aisle of dolls. "The girl wants a baby doll with some clothes and a bed. You can help me find one for her."

Beth picked up a Barbie doll, "This one is good Ima."

"That is not a baby doll," Riv yanked the box from her twin's hands. "A baby doll is like LJ."

The little boy heard his name and turned to his sister, "Me _not_ baby. Me _big_ boy."

"Enough!" Ziva's patience was wearing thin. "Please look with your eyes and not with your hands." She found the selection of baby dolls and skimmed over the choices. She narrowed it to two possibilities: a soft-bodied larger doll with five outfits, a snap together plastic cradle, and some other accessories or a set of smaller hard plastic twins with two outfits each and a convertible stroller, seat, and bed in one, plus accessories. The price difference was only about a dollar.

"Which one would you choose?" she asked her twins. Rivka pointed to the set of twins, while Beth chose the larger doll. Ziva inwardly groaned; why did it not surprise her that they had different choices? She showed the options to LJ, asking the little boy which he preferred.

"No, Ima. No baby. Want fire tuck!" He pointed towards the aisle with the trucks. When he looked over the two choices for the doll, though, he finally pointed to the single doll. "Dat one."

Ziva placed the box for the single doll in the cart; it really was the better choice since the contents were closer to what the child had requested. She steered the cart towards the construction and building toys aisle. The boy had requested a specific Lego set; hopefully, she could find it easily. Since the sets were arranged by theme, Ziva spotted the item she wanted quickly and placed it in the cart.

"We _have_ that one," Riv commented. "Anthony got it for his birfday."

"It is not for us; remember that we are buying for our Giving Tree family. The boy wants this set, so that is what we are buying," Ziva reminded the child.

"What else are we buying?" Beth asked out of curiosity.

As she headed to the clothing departments, Ziva explained what gifts would be purchased for the family of four. "For the girl, some play clothes in orange and or pink, pajamas, and socks and underwear. For the boy, school clothes, underwear, socks, and pajamas. For the parents, socks, underwear, shirts, and pajamas or a robe. Also, we will buy a Christmas dinner for them through NCIS."

"Oh." The girls watched as Ziva found four coordinating pieces with the orange and pink colors. Two shirts, a skort, and leggings to mix and match. She added the underwear and socks for both children to the cart before moving to the boys' clothing area to select school clothing for the boy. The girls played in the clothing racks as Ziva made her selections; two pairs of jeans and two long-sleeved t-shirts.

LJ squirmed in the seat of the cart as the group moved to the adult clothing area. "Down, Ima." LJ gave his mother his best puppy eyes. "Pweese?"

"You may walk but remember to stay where I can see you," she placed his feet on the floor and turned to select socks and underwear for the father of the family. "Come, we must find some shirts and pajamas for the father." She motioned for her three to follow.

"NO!" LJ shouted out. Ziva turned to see him swatting away his sisters' hands as the girls tried to grab his. "Me _big_ boy!"

"Please let him walk by himself," she admonished the two girls. "I do not want any meltdowns while we are in the store, please." She found the items on the list for the father and led the kids to the women's department. Sensing that the three preschoolers were getting bored and antsy, she quickly chose socks and underwear for the mother and found several racks of shirts from which to choose. After making the selections, she glanced around for the children. LJ and Rika were making silly faces at a mirror, but Beth was nowhere in sight.

"Where is your sister?" she asked the other two.

"Dere," LJ pointed to a shelf of folded jeans and shirts. Riv shrugged.

Ziva searched where LJ had pointed, no sign of the child. "Beth, please come to me now." LJ and Riv heard the stern tone and rushed to Ziva's side. All three looked for the little girl to join them.

"I will count to three, and you had better be where I can see you, Elizabeth," Ziva continued to do a visual scan of the area. "One, two, three." Still no child. "Elizabeth Shannon DiNozzo, show yourself now!"

A small giggle came from under one of the racks of shirts; Ziva parted the hanging garments to see her child crouched on the interior of the rack. Beth looked up at her mother and grinned.

"You're it, Ima!" She climbed out of the rack as if it was no big deal.

Ziva grabbed the child and lifted her into the child seat on the cart. Beth stiffened her legs to try to avoid getting restricted by the cart, but Ziva was determined to make sure the child did not scare her by disappearing again.

"Ow, you hurted me, Ima," Beth pouted as the other two just watched with wide eyes.

"I will hurt your bottom if you continue to misbehave. Why did you not come out of the rack when I first called you?"

"I wanted to play hide-n-seek, Ima," the child's lower lip quivered. "It is a fun game."

Ziva glared at the child, trying to compose herself so she didn't lose it completely. "We are done with the shopping. You will stay in the seat as punishment for hiding from me until we get to the van. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ima," Beth sighed. LJ and Rivka followed by each holding on to a side of the cart as Ziva steered to the checkout area. Thankfully, one of the self-check lines was empty and Ziva quickly scanned the codes and paid for her purchases. With the clothing items in bags, the receipt in hand, she started to the exit.

"I wanna ride too," Riv whined. "No fair that we have to walk, and Beth gets to ride…"

"Ride," LJ echoed his sister. "Me ride."

Ziva place LJ in the basket of the cart with the bags and boxes and motioned to Rivka to stand on the end, hanging on to the basket. "That is a good as we can get for riding. Let us get to the van and go home without any further complaints or whining. Okay?"

The cart was heavy with the three kids and their purchases, but Ziva managed to guide it to the van. She opened the doors and rear hatch. Riv climbed into the side door and her toddler seat as Ziva lifted Beth from the seat and then LJ from the basket.

"Get into your seats while I put our purchases in the back," she directed the children. "I will make sure harnesses are properly buckled after I take the cart to the cart return." She closed the rear hatch and put the cart in the chute in the return corral.

"Ima is gonna check me first!"

"Uh-uh, me first!"

Ziva could hear the twins arguing from behind the next car over from their van. LJ was in his seat, but his harness was twisted around his jacket. Ziva helped him first then checked the twins, Beth and then Riv. She sighed to herself as she started the engine and backed out of the parking space.

The three little DiNozzos sang Christmas carols as they rode, in particular, the _fa-la-la-la-la_ from _Deck the Halls_ nonstop all the way home. Ziva tried to tune them out as best she could.

At home, Tony came out the garage door to the kitchen after Ziva used the garage door opener to raise the door. The kids rushed to their Abba full of stories about their shopping adventure.

Beth grabbed her Abba's hand, "We buyed presents for the Giving Tree family."

"Yep, we buyed toys and clothes and Beth got in trouble," Rivka tugged at her Abba's sleeve.

"Tattletale," Beth stuck out her tongue at her twin.

"Am not."

"Are too."

Tony held up his hand, "Enough; Tali and Anthony helped me set up the trains around the Christmas tree. Why don't you go check it out?"

"Twains!" LJ ran inside followed by his sisters.

Ziva handed Tony several bags and the box with the doll playset. She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Toda. They were a handful today."

"Oh?"

"Your daughter decided to hide in a clothing rack and scared me when I could not find her," Ziva explained. "Remind me that taking three preschoolers shopping is never a good idea."

"How about we take these things to your office and I will make you a cup of tea while you enjoy some quiet time for a bit?" Tony offered. "I will keep the kids entertained for half an hour or so."

"Oh, yes, please; Ima needs her sanity!"


	13. The Perfect Gift

Chapter 13: The Perfect Gift - 2035

"I need your help, Ima," Tali walked into her mother's office.

"With what?" Ziva looked up from the screen where she was checking her email, removing her reading glasses.

Tali sighed, "I need an idea for a Christmas gift for Chaim. I want to get the perfect gift for his first Christmas with our family."

"There is no such thing as the _perfect_ gift, yaldati," her Ima smiled and patted the chair next to her desk. "Sit, and let me tell you a story…"

"Okay, but you do know that I've read _The Gift of the Magi_?"

Ziva nodded, "That is a good story, but not the one I want to tell you. This is from our family, back in 2018, our first Christmas in this house…"

~ _December 2018_ ~

Ziva was at her wit's end; she'd wrapped gifts for the kids, the extended family, and two of the neighbors. Tony had helped with most of the gift wrapping. He'd also taken a roll of paper and the tape to his office and shut the door. She figured he was wrapping her gifts. And therein lay the problem; she had yet to find a gift for her husband.

She'd paid attention to things he'd commented on or drooled over during the year, giving ideas to family as to what to buy for him for a Christmas gift. Boxed movie collections, a few books about classic cinema, the outdoor grilling tool set; none of them struck her as the perfect gift for her to give to him. She'd passed the ideas along to others, knowing that he would end up with most of the items from friends and family.

None of the ideas for gifts that she came up with seemed right; she had even spent part of her afternoon one Saturday when Tony offered to stay with the kids so she could get some me time wandering the local mall in search of gifts for him. Nothing seemed to jump out at her and not one of the ideas suggested by the variety of stores clicked with her.

Even checking Tony's online wish lists offered no solution to the dilemma. She _had_ made his favorite cookies, snickerdoodles, or ugiyott qinamonn, in a triple batch, knowing he'd eat at least half of them before Christmas.

By 2300 on Christmas Eve, all the gifts were placed under and around the tree in the family room. Tali's shiny purple bicycle had been assembled including the training wheels and purple sparkly streamers from the handlebars. A large bow was attached to the seat. Tony left Ziva to fuss with the gift placements and retrieved the brightly wrapped packages from him to her. Ziva watched her husband place the last gifts under the tree.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling his face into her hair at her neckline.

Ziva sighed, "They are not worth even a penny. I will figure it out." She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You do know that I love you, yes?"

"Uh huh, ani ohev otcha, neshama," he fused his lips to hers. He broke for air, "Shall we take this to our room?" When she nodded, he led her to the master suite.

Two hours later, Ziva was still awake; sleep was not happening. Tony was snoring lightly at her side, his arm wrapped loosely over her hips. She carefully turned to glance at the bedside clock; 0137. She gently moved her husband's arm and slid out from under the covers. She padded to her office and partially closed the door after switching on the lamp on her desk.

She _had_ to do something for a gift for her lover. An IOU or gift voucher would have to do; she started writing.

_My love, if not for your steady belief in me, even when I did not believe in myself, we would still be dancing around the love we share. I cannot put into words how much I love you even on the best of days. You are always there for me, and you always have been there. Every time I fell, your arms have been there to catch me, even when I believed I did not deserve your love. When I saw you across from me in that hell made by the monster, I knew then that I could not exist without you. You told me that you could not live without me. I could not verbalize at the time, but I felt the same about you. When I spiraled into darkness after my father's assassination, you were there to try to pull me out of my own head. You were the one who could see the inner demons pulling at my very soul, and you tried your best to reach to me. I pushed you away, thinking that I could not lose you as I had lost everyone else that I loved. Even when I made you leave you left a piece of yourself with me. Yes, our daughter was growing within my womb, but also your love was in my heart and in my soul, hidden by the darkness. When Tali was born, I saw so much of you in her. My heart could once again see some light. Now that we are a family, I cannot imagine my life any other way. I will love you for the rest of my days, Anthony DiNozzo. You are my forever, my something permanent, and you are my salvation._

_Ani ohevet otach, neshama. Ziva_

"And I still have that letter," Tony's voice from the doorway startled mother and daughter. He opened his wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Tali immediately recognized her Ima's handwriting. "I read it about once a week to remind me how much I love your Ima, Tali. She saved me from myself, too. This was one of the best gifts I have ever received because it came from her heart. Her soul and mine are always and forever linked as one."

He walked to Ziva's desk and pulled her into his arms, firmly planting his lips on hers. Tali looked at the open doorway, feeling a bit awkward. She looked back at her parents when they separated for air. Both had tears threatening to spill over.

"I think I get it," she remarked and wrapped her parents in a hug. "It comes from the heart and the soul."


	14. Holiday Spirit

Chapter 14: Holiday Spirit – 2019

Five-year-old Tali handed the cashier the ten-dollar bill from her wallet to pay for her Ima's Christmas gift. Abba nodded that she had the correct bill and grinned at her.

"Way to go, Tali-T; you're doing great on learning money," Tony high-fived his eldest. "Plus, I think that Ima will really like the gift you chose for her."

"Really?" Tali watched as the cashier counted back her change into her open palm - thirty-seven cents – and then put the microwaveable tea pot, mug, and assortment of tea bags into a plastic bag with the store's red bulls' eye logo boldly splashed across one side.

"Uh huh; you know how Ima loves her morning tea. This will be perfect for her to have as many cups as she wants, even when we're in a hurry."

"Will you help me wrap it and put a bow on the package?" Tali took the handles of the bag from the cashier as her father nodded his thanks to the clerk.

"Of course; what color bow?" Tony took Tali's free hand in his to navigate to the store's exit and into the busy parking lot.

"Purple; a big purple bow," the little girl replied with a grin. "That way she will _know_ it's from me. Oh, and the purple princesses paper too."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony paused to the side of the exit before passing through the sliding doors to make sure his baby's coat was zipped and her hat was on her head. "Gotta bundle up; it's cold outside."

"K; Grandpa says it's gonna snow. Says his knees can tell," Tali commented as her Abba tugged the knitted cap over the unruly curls on the child's head.

"Where are your gloves?" he checked the pockets of the girl's coat. Both gloves were stuffed into the left side pocket; he quickly removed them and helped Tali slide her hands into the warm coverings. "Now you're ready to brave the cold, munchkin."

Tali grinned, "Where's your hat and gloves, Abba?"

Tony yanked the gloves from his jacket pocket and pulled the hood over his head. "Satisfied, little Ima?"

"Abba, you're silly. I'm _not_ Ima," Tali giggled. " _Ima_ would give you the 'Ima glare.' I _don't_ do that!"

Father and daughter slipped gloved hands together and exited the store. Near the entrance a familiar red kettle stood on its tripod stand. The bell ringer was singing _Hark How the Bells._ Tony reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened the billfold and grabbed a twenty, folding it twice so it would fit in the slot of the kettle. He handed the folded bill to Tali and motioned for her to drop it in the kettle's slot.

"Bless you, Merry Christmas, sir and young lady. May the spirit of Christmas fill your hearts and home," the woman smiled and rang the bell.

"Merry Christmas!" Tony responded as he and Tali were waved across the line of traffic in front of the store.

At the car, Tali climbed into her booster seat in the rear as Tony put her bag with Ima's gift in the trunk. He slammed the trunk shut, checked Tali's seat belt, closed her door, and climbed in the driver's seat. He started the engine and backed out of the parking space.

At the parking lot entrance, he had to wait for the green left turn arrow to make his turn towards home. Tali was quietly watching the other vehicles and surrounding area. At the second light from the store, Tony had to stop as the light turned red.

"Abba?"

Tony glanced in the rearview mirror, "Yeah, Tals?" He could see the pensive look on his little girl's face.

"Spirits are like the ghosts in _A Christmas Carol_ , right?" Tali made eye contact via the mirror. "I mean like the ghost of Christmas past and stuff…"

"Yep," Tony wondered where she was going with this.

"Well, that lady said the spirit of Christmas should be in our hearts and home. Why would we want _ghosts_ in our house?" she furrowed her brow, so like her mother, as she tried to make sense of the words. "An' in our _hearts_?"

Tony had to suppress a chuckle, "The spirit of Christmas isn't a ghost; it's another meaning for the word 'spirit.' It means a feeling or emotion."

"Oh," she still had the frown of concentration on her face. "So, _what_ is the spirit of Christmas?"

 _She had to ask the hard question_ , he thought before he answered his curious kindergartener. "Well, it's the happy feeling we have at Christmas; the feeling from being with the ones we love. It's being generous, and caring, and wishing everyone good things and good times. It's about love, and the miracles that happened many years ago at this time of the year."

"Like the Chanukah miracle with the lamp oil? And the birth of Baby Jesus?"

"Yep," he started to say more but the child cut him off.

"And being with our family at Grandpa's house on Christmas day; an' watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ ; an' eating Ima's Christmas cookies and our Chanukah gelt; and watching people smile when they open presents if it's something they really, really, really wanted…"

Tony turned into their driveway, "You got it!" He switched off the engine and opened the door to step out. He pulled the rear door open so Tali could exit the car as he pressed the trunk release on the key fob.

"Well, then I want the spirit of Christmas to stay at our house and at all of our family's houses all year long!" Tali skipped to the rear of the car with her Abba following. "Because I love all of our family all year long."


	15. Songs of the Season

Chapter 15: Songs of the Season - 2034

"Ima? Are you ready to go?" seventeen-year-old Anthony walked the short hallway to his mother's office.

"Almost," Ziva replied as she clicked _send_ on the e-mail she wrote to her friend from her college classes. Khalia had just moved to Arizona with her family a week after the Thanksgiving holiday. Ziva did not envy her on having to move during the holidays, but at least the Army had packed out the house and shipped their belongings.

"I'll drive as long as you don't mind riding in my truck," the teen offered. "After all, you've been the driver every year since we started the caroling when I was seven."

"That is fine; let me get my coat. Is LJ coming with us?"

"He sent a text that he and Grandpa are still busy helping set up the winter art show at the Center," Anthony helped his mother with her coat, not that she needed it, but he'd learned from his Abba how to be the gentleman. Outside, he opened the truck door for her and offered his arm to help her climb in.

Ziva patted her son's cheek as she climbed the step into the truck, "So like your Abba."

Anthony blushed, "I try…"

At all of the three nursing homes the pair visited, Anthony and Ziva warmly greeted the residents who assembled in the dining room, recreation room, or game room. Three of the old people at the last home had been at the very first caroling the mother-son duo had done. One woman had a picture from that first year with herself, Ziva, and Anthony all smiling in their elf hats.

"I remember every year," Mrs. Jenkins hugged Ziva and then Anthony. "You were such a cute little boy and now you are a handsome young man. Ziva, you must be proud of your son!"

Anthony grinned, "Well my voice has changed for sure! Back then I was a soprano to Ima's rich alto; now my baritone contrasts with her voice well."

Mr. Abernathy, another of the long-time attendees, winked at the teen, "Your mother has one of those sultry alto voices that men swoon over; she can sing to me any time!"

Anthony swore his Ima blushed as she replied, "Toda; I will not tell Tony though."

"Where is Tony? Is he here?" Mrs. Jenkins looked around for the DiNozzo patriarch. "Are any of the others here or just you two?"

Ziva reached over and squeezed the old woman's hand, "Tony is busy with the afterschool basketball league for the middle school kids. LJ is with his grandfather setting up the winter art show; Tali is living on her own now and at Georgetown University. Riv and Beth are at a gymnastics meet with the high school team. Anthony and I were the only two free today. We will still sing your favorite, though."

Ziva stepped to the front of the group, "Greetings everyone. It is hard to believe that it was ten years ago today that Anthony and I first came here with my campus Honor Society to sing for you. Many changes have occurred over the years, but the songs of the season are a constant tradition. We shall start with _The Twelve Days of Christmas_ ; feel free to join in with any of the songs." She looked to her son and nodded to begin.

Mother and son sang several more holiday songs, including _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ which earned a delighted clap from Mrs. Jenkins. She sang along with her favorite and smiled a huge smile as Anthony wheeled her around the room as they sang.

"One more before we go; our usual closing carol," Anthony announced before he and his Ima sang _Silent Night_ in the original German. The third long-time attendee, Mrs. Baumann, had been quietly listening to the songs. A stroke six months prior had left her non-verbal. Anthony looked over at the old woman and noticed tears in her eyes. He approached her as they sang and knelt in front of her wheelchair. He placed a hand on her folded hands, getting her attention.

As the carol ended, Mrs. Baumann slowly raised her hand to Anthony's face, "Th-th… oo." Ziva had to turn away to wipe tears from her own eyes. Anthony hugged the old woman.

"Fröhliche Weihnachten, Frau Baumann," he whispered.

He stood to applause from the residents and staff who were gathered to watch the performance. Ziva wrapped an arm around her son and pulled him into a hug. Anthony grinned and wiped at his eyes.


	16. Pictures with Santa

Chapter 16: Pictures with Santa

~2017~

"I do not understand this obsession with pictures with a fictional character, Tony," Ziva followed her husband and daughter to the display marked ' _Pictures with Santa_ ' as six-month-old Anthony squirmed in the baby carrier.

He turned and grinned at his wife, "It's an American tradition, Ziva. How long have you been a citizen? Surely it was part of the study for your citizenship test… Besides, _every_ parent needs to have at least one set of Santa pictures with crying kids for future blackmail over the kids."

Ziva snickered, "So are you saying that your father has such pictures?" She would pay good money to see any pictures of her husband with the jolly Christmas symbol, crying or not.

Three-year-old Tali listened to her parents' bickering, tugging at the neckline of her dress. The lacy collar itched and bothered her neck. Ima had promised she could take the dress off after the photos were taken.

Tony paused, "NO!... um… maybe… but if he did, I'm sure he would have already found a way to embarrass me with them." He turned back to the teenager taking the fee for the Santa pictures.

"Ten dollars for five digital images or forty-five dollars for the printed package," the girl recited the options for the photo shoot. "Digital are emailed to you; printed pictures are available in eight to ten working days…"

"We will do the digital images," Ziva quickly decided before her other half spent money that she thought a bit much for a silly bunch of Santa pictures. Tony paid the cash while Ziva completed the form and signed the release for her children to be photographed.

"Ho, ho, ho," the stereo-typical mall Santa greeted the family as they entered the area for their turn.

Tali hid behind her Abba's leg and peeked at the large man in the red fuzzy suit. Anthony squirmed as Ziva took him from the carrier. She wiped as much of the drool as she could from his face and shirt, setting the baby in Santa's arms. Tony led Tali over next to her brother.

"It's okay, Tali-T, that's Santa Claus. We're gonna have some pictures made to share with the family. Can you smile for me so the nice man can take the pictures?" he coaxed the little girl.

She frowned just as Ziva managed to get a huge smile from Anthony. _Click_.

"Come on, Tals, one little smile for Abba, please?" Anthony grinned and Tali grimaced as she tugged at the itchy lace collar. _Click._

Tony made a silly face at his little girl, "Please smile for Abba?" Anthony laughed at his father's face; Tali had a small smile but turned just as the shutter went _Click._

Ziva switched places with Tony, "One smile, Tali; that is all we need. Then we will go get some ice cream." Tali's face lit up and she grinned; Anthony yawned. _Click._

"I give up," Tony raised his hands in frustration; Tali looked at her Abba as did Anthony. _Click_. Both had an expression of amusement on their faces; Ziva had to admit that it was the best of their five shots. Tony just shook his head and took Anthony in his arms so Ziva could help Tali change to her jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt in the family restroom.

~2020~

Tali and Anthony held hands as the two walked through the mall with their parents. Ima and Abba each carried one of their almost ten-month-old twin sisters, Rivka and Beth. All four children wore matching red and green holiday-themed sweatshirts with jeans. The six-year-old and three-year-old knew the routine: sit in Santa's lap, smile for five snapshots, get ice cream as a treat.

"Tali, Anthony, come," Ima called the two older children to Santa's chair. "This year, you will be standing by Santa so that he can hold your sisters in his lap. Remember _big_ smiles and then we get ice cream."

"Yes, Ima," the two chorused.

First shot; Anthony was looking at something off to the side; Beth yawned instead of smiled. Second shot; Tali and Anthony were snickering at their Abba's silly faces that he made to get the babies to smile. Riv and Beth were laughing but Riv turned to look at Anthony just as the shutter snapped. Third shot; Santa spoke to the two babies, causing both to have a deer-in-the-headlights look. Fourth shot; all four kids were smiling but Santa and Tali had their eyes closed. Fifth shot; Rivka started fussing and refused to smile; Anthony got antsy and was standing on one foot as the shutter snapped.

Ziva declared the second shot the best because of her husband's antics that resulted in the snickers.

~2021~

Tali and Anthony each held the hand of a twin as Abba carried baby LJ in a sling carrier. The two-month-old infant was asleep as they walked to the photo area. Ziva watched over the four older kids, keeping an eye on the twenty-two-month-old girls to make sure one or the other didn't suddenly dart away.

Tali and Anthony posed nicely, smiling in each picture; LJ slept through the entire session, shifting once but not waking. The twins were the handful; one or the other or both kept trying to run off. In fact, in three of the shots, at least one twin was blurred because she was in motion. Ziva finally got Beth to stand with Tali and almost had Riv in place with Anthony. A shopper walked by with a large assortment of balloons and Riv turned to watch just as the shutter clicked. In the final shot, Beth had her thumb in her mouth and Rivka was pouting.

Tony decided that year's pictures should have the subtitle ' _What was I thinking_?'

~2025~

The year of the DiNozzo disaster, the pictures of the kids with Santa almost didn't happen. They'd put it off due to the weather at first, then the series of injuries happened. Tired of hearing the kids ask when they would be able to get the annual Santa picture, Ziva called Gibbs.

"Do you still have the Santa costume?" she asked on the day after Christmas.

"Yep; haven't had a chance to return it since the toy deliveries," Gibbs replied. "Why?"

Ziva explained that the family had not had the chance to get the usual pictures for the holiday before Anthony broke his arm; Tony broke his ankle in the sledding accident that also resulted in a broken foot for Rivka and a fractured wrist for Beth; and Ziva dropped the frozen turkey on her foot, resulting in a broken right foot.

Gibbs quickly figured out what Ziva wanted, "Let me get the Santa suit and I'll be there in half an hour. I'll call Jack Sloane to meet me at your place with her DSLR. That work?"

"Yes, thank you!" Ziva had her family prepare for the pictures as best they could.

After, Tony laughed, "We _finally_ get everyone smiling and staying in one place and it's because most of us are limited mobility!"

Tali and LJ shared a look; neither of them had been hurt in any way. "Well, Abba, this is also the first year that you and Ima are also in the pictures."

"Five of seven in a cast, sling, and or ankle boot; we have immortalized the DiNozzo disaster," Ziva quipped to the laughter of her family.

"We _do_ keep things interesting!" Tony retorted to more chuckles all around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N For more details about the "DiNozzo Disaster" see chapters 15 and 16 of "You Complete Me."


	17. McTree

Chapter 17: McTree - 2017

"Tim and Delilah's babies are adorable," Ziva commented to Tony as the couple drove home from visiting the McGee family at the hospital. The twins were just a day old and scheduled to go home the next day.

Tony grinned, "Little McGees… there's something so funny about it. Seriously, though, I wouldn't want to be them when the McTwins hit the terrible twos. We got one through it and another heading that way; one at a time is all I can handle."

"They will have their hands full, that is for sure," Ziva replied. "I am glad you offered to help Tim set up the beds for the babies. I think he is overwhelmed at the moment."

Two hours later, Tony knocked on the door of his old apartment; well, technically still _his_ apartment, but the McGee family currently called it home. He had a toolbox in his left hand, with his cordless drill, cordless screwdriver, hammer, and assorted other tools that might be needed to assemble baby beds.

"Hey, Tony," Tim looked as though he could use a day's worth of sleep. "Come on in, sorry about the mess. I just…" He scrubbed a hand over his face and shrugged.

"No prob, McDaddy," the older man grinned and placed his toolbox on the small table in the living room. "Been there, done that… it _does_ get easier as they get older."

"Gosh, I hope so," Tim sighed. "They are only a day old and already I feel as though I've aged ten years. How am I gonna handle _twins_ , Tony?"

"Chill, McWorryWort, you'll be a great dad," Tony placed a hand on Tim's shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, you got me and the Gremlin. Now, let's get these baby beds ready for their owners."

Within ninety minutes, the two men had both cribs set up and placed in the small room which had been converted from a home office to a nursery. Tony packed up his tools and prepared to head home. He glanced around the apartment.

"No Christmas decorations? No tree?" he asked.

"No time," the younger man replied with a shrug.

"Get some sleep, bro, while you can."

"Thanks for all your help, Tony."

Back at home, Tony mentioned to Ziva that the McGees had not put up a Christmas tree, nor had they put up _any_ decorations. She frowned and met his gaze.

"How about…" Tony started.

"We should set up a small tree for them," Ziva said at almost the same time. "You still have a key, yes?"

"Uh huh; I could take a small tree over there while Tim is getting Dee and the babies from the hospital tomorrow," Tony replied with a grin. He and Ziva were yet again of one mind. "I think that three-foot tree from last year in Paris is in a box in the garage. We could use that."

"Yes, and there are _plenty_ of ornaments in the storage boxes; we did not use all of the ones we own on our tree this year," Ziva was thinking out loud. "I also think there is at least one string of lights in the storage boxes from your things from the apartment."

"Good idea; I have a piece of plywood in the garage left from when Gibbs fixed that shelf in Tali's room. We could attach the tree to that for a base. I can take it over in the van in the morning."

Ziva nodded, "We shall decorate the tree after the children are in bed tonight."

Around 1300 the next day, Tony's phone rang with Tim's ringtone. He looked at Ziva and grinned as he swiped the screen.

"Hello, McDaddy. Everyone home okay?"

"Yep, and I'm gonna put you on speaker. Can you get Ziva on speaker on your end?" Tony could hear the tired in his brother's voice.

He motioned for Ziva to come over by him and pressed the speaker option on the call, "Okay, we're on speaker on this end."

Delilah spoke next, "Thank you so much for the tree you two; I really didn't think we'd have one this year. Thanks both of you!"

Tim added to his wife's words, "I'm speechless… thanks; you two are the best."

"That is what family does!" Ziva smiled at her soulmate. "Merry Christmas; now get some rest while the babies are sleeping."

Tony grinned at Ziva, "Merry McTree, McGees!"


	18. Traditions

Chapter 18: Traditions - 2024

"Ima, what's a tra-tra… tra-dish-un?" Beth tugged at her mother's shirt hem as Ziva tried to make the children's sandwiches for lunch.

"Yeah, we wanna know," Rivka was behind her twin with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. Her dramatic look when she was demanding attention or information.

"Me too," LJ piped up from Ziva's right side. "When is lunch?"

Ziva smiled at her baby; like his older siblings and his Abba, the three-year-old was almost always ready to eat.

"The word I think you are trying to say is 'tradition.' Where did you hear that?"

Beth moved around so she could see Ima's face, "At school. Miss Kari said that Christmas is all about tradition and special things. So, what is it?"

Ziva slid the completed sandwiches onto plates for the six family members at home for lunch. "I will explain over our lunch; Rivka would you please tell Tali and Anthony that lunch is ready? All of you go wash your hands as well."

"Yes, Ima," three preschoolers replied as they ran towards the family room where the two older DiNozzo children were playing a game on the Xbox.

Each child took his or her plate of food to the table as Ziva put their cups of milk at their places. She grabbed her own plate and beverage last and sat down with the children for the meal.

"Well?" Rivka looked at her Ima; her sandwich was already half gone. Ziva made eye contact with the nearly five-year-old. "Please, Ima."

"That is better," Ziva smiled at the little girl. "Tradition is hard to explain but I can give you a lot of examples of what it is and why we have it."

Tali swallowed the food in her mouth and took a sip of milk. "Isn't it like things that are repeated over time because they have meaning to the person?"

"You are close, Tali. It also has to do with passing down from generation to generation, such as a food, or custom, or way of doing something. An example is when we watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ every year. That is a tradition from Abba's family.

"His mother is the one who started that annual activity with your Abba when he was a little boy. Abba watches the film to honor his mother's memory and to continue the tradition with you. You are the new generation."

"So, when we decorate the Christmas tree, is that tradition?" Anthony was putting the pieces together in his mind.

Ziva smiled at her son, "Exactly. We as a family have several traditions that were passed along from your grandparents; not Grandpa Gibbs, but your blood grandparents."

"The ones we never got to meet?" Tali asked softly.

Ziva reached over to squeeze her ten-year-old's hand; Tali's class had done a genealogy unit as part of their social studies curriculum for fifth grade. The project for the family tree had hit home with a sharp pang for both Tony and Ziva as Tali asked questions about her bloodlines.

"Yes, Tali. I did not meet your Grandmother DiNozzo. She died when your father was a boy, about Anthony's age. Your Grandfather DiNozzo was a nice man, but he and your Abba did not always get along. I did get to meet him when Abba and I worked together at NCIS.

"My Ima died before I worked with your Abba, so he did not get to meet her. She was Doda Nettie's older sister. My father died before Tali was born, but your Abba did get to meet him several times. He was a complicated man, and his story is best saved for another day."

Rivka thought about her Ima's words, "So if they are dead, how did _we_ get the traditions from them?"

"Well, for one thing, they passed the traditions to me and to Abba. We taught them to you," Ziva explained. "My recipe for challah is a tradition that has been in my Ima's family for many generations. My Ima, your Savta, got the recipe from her Ima, _my_ Savta and your Savta Raba. Savta got the recipe from her Ima. And when you are old enough, I will give each of you the recipe to have and pass to the generation after you."

LJ grinned, "Good challah! I _love_ challah!"

Ziva decided to turn the conversation more positive, "Who can think of things we do as tradition in our family besides the things we've already said?"

"Our annual ornaments for the tree," Tali quickly responded. She loved the finding her prior years' ornaments to hang on the tree and discovering a new ornament for the current year.

"Christmas cookies!" Anthony grinned and rubbed his belly.

"Santa pictures," Beth added her thoughts.

"Go to Grandpa's house," LJ piped in.

Rivka frowned, all the ideas she had were already brought up by the others. Then she remembered another thing the extended family did each year, "Santa's helpers. Abba, Grandpa, Uncle Tim, Uncle Jimmy, Uncle Leon, and Uncle Clay help deliver the toys to kids in the hospital every year."

"Very good," Ziva smiled at her brood. "I have another idea that we could start a tradition this year, if you would like." All five nodded. "We could make bird, squirrel, rabbit, and other creature friendly decorations for the outside trees to share with them. I saw an article online about making garlands with peanuts, cranberries, popcorn, and dried fruit cut in small pieces. It also had ornaments made with bird seed and peanut butter or honey or suet that can be hung on the trees. Another idea is to slice oranges and apples and hang the slices as ornaments for the animals."

"Ima, if we use yarn or cotton cord for the hangers on the ornaments and garlands, when the food is gone, the birds could use the fibers for their nests," Tali was already thinking about the ideas her mother set out.

Anthony was petting Daisy; she had put her head in his lap hoping to get some of his sandwich. "How would we keep Daisy and Asher from eating the decorations with peanut butter? You know _both_ of them love peanut butter."

Asher heard his name and raised his head from where he was lying by Ziva's feet. She looked down at him as he moved, so he stood and pressed against his person. She rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears.

"That is a good concern, Anthony. Maybe we can have Abba hang the peanut butter ornaments higher up using the step ladder. That way the dogs won't eat them," Ziva thought out loud.

LJ had been listening to the others, "Could we make treats for Daisy and Asher with peanut butter? They would have their own and leave the ones for the birds alone."

Beth wasn't about to have the dogs get a special treat and the cats be left out. "We gotta make treats for the cats too. Lightning, Simba, Patches, and Callie all should have a special Christmas treat also."

And so began the annual tradition of the DiNozzo yard being decorated with natural items and food for the outside creatures…


	19. Cats and Dogs

Chapter 19: Cats and Dogs – 2026

Ziva watched as the children worked together to create the Christmas treats for the animals. First up were the dog treats for Asher and Daisy. LJ was helping Tali puree the unsalted peanuts in the food processor to make homemade peanut butter. Beth and Anthony were using the blender to puree cut up pumpkin. Rivka was measuring the two cups of whole wheat flour into the bowl of the stand mixer to have it ready to mix with the pumpkin and peanut butter and an egg for the dough for the dog treats.

Three parchment lined cookie sheets were waiting for baking the dogs' treats in the ovens. Ziva dusted the marble rolling pin and the mat for rolling out the dough. She placed the two bone-shaped cookie cutters nearby.

"Ima, the pumpkin is ready," Beth called out. "What do we do with it?"

"Pour it into the mixing bowl and then set the beater on two to blend the flour and the pumpkin," Ziva replied.

Anthony carried the blender jar to the mixer, pouring the contents into the bowl. Riv raised the lever to bring the bowl up to the beater and Beth selected speed two with the control lever.

LJ carried the food processor bowl to the counter by the mixer as Ziva checked the consistency of the mixture so far.

"Okay, add the egg and then the peanut butter," she instructed LJ and Tali. Tali quickly cracked the eggshell on the side of the bowl and let the contents pour out. LJ held up the peanut butter bowl as Tali scraped their homemade peanut butter into the mixing bowl.

"Now change the speed to five and let it go for three minutes. I will check the dough and make sure it is good for rolling out," Ziva explained further. While the kids watched the mixer, Ziva retrieved a can of salmon from the pantry for the cat treats.

"Anthony, set the ovens to preheat to three hundred fifty degrees, please."

Anthony pressed the appropriate buttons on the oven controls, "Got it, Ima. Can I be the first one to roll the dough, please?"

Ziva walked over to check the dough's consistency, "Yes, you may. Rivka, please hand me the half-cup measuring cup with some flour in it. We need this to be slightly less sticky than it currently is."

She added a few sprinkles of flour and worked the dough to get it the way she wanted. She cut the power off, lowered the bowl, and removed it from the mixer. At the prepared rolling site on the counter, Ziva put the ball of dough in the center of the mat and then pressed it flat on top. She handed the floured rolling pin to Anthony. She handed the used mixer bowl to LJ to take to the sink.

Daisy and Asher perked up when LJ passed by them with the bowl. LJ held the bowl lower so that the two dogs could lick the remnants of the dough from the inside of the bowl before he put it into the soapy water in the sink.

Anthony rolled the dough to the thickness of the two rings Ziva put on the ends of the rolling pins as guides. The twins each took a cookie cutter in hand and began cutting the dog bone shaped treats from the dough. Tali carefully lifted the cut treats onto the parchment paper for baking.

When they could cut no more shapes, Ziva rolled the remaining dough into another ball and handed the rolling pin to Beth for her turn to roll out the dough. Anthony and Rivka cut more shapes and Tali placed them on the baking sheets.

The process was repeated once more and then Ziva shaped the final bit of dough into a cookie cutter and then placed the shape on the baking sheet. All three pans went in the ovens to bake at 350º for twenty-five minutes.

Ziva looked around for LJ; she'd noticed that he had not been helping with the cutting of the treats. She smiled when she saw him with the two dogs taking turns licking the mixer bowl.

"I think Asher and Daisy like these treats, Ima," LJ grinned. "I tasted it too and it is good!"

Anthony heard his little brother's comment, "Yep, Abba says these are the _only_ dog treats that are also people food. Remember last year when he ate one from the cooling rack thinking it was a cookie?"

Everyone laughed at the memory and then laughed even more when Anthony added, "Since we are trying the cat treats recipe for the first time this year, we should get Abba to eat one of them too!"

"Get Abba to eat _what_?" Tony had heard the last part of the conversation as he came into the kitchen from the garage.

"Homemade CAT TREATS!" LJ yelled out in his excitement.

"Okay, I'm game; the homemade dog treats were pretty good," Tony replied with a huge grin, knowing the kids would definitely get a laugh. "What all is in them?"

"Salmon, egg, and whole wheat flour," Ziva read the ingredients from the recipe she'd pulled up on her tablet. "Similar to the salmon cakes but with out the onion, celery, and spices."

"Bland salmon cakes in tiny heart shapes," Tali held up the small heart-shaped cookie cutters that Ziva bought on clearance after Valentine's day that year. "As long as you don't start licking yourself, it's all good…"

"Me-ow," her Abba replied with a grin and then he licked the back of his hand to laughter from the others. "What can I do to help? After all, I am Callie's person."

In all the family made forty-eight dog treats and ninety-six cat treats for the fur legged DiNozzo family members; twenty-four treats for each of the pets.


	20. Menorahs

Chapter 20: Menorahs

~2012~

"If we are going to celebrate Chanukah, then we must have a menorah to do it properly," Ziva explained to Tony as the pair finished eating Sunday brunch at her place, well _their_ place since he'd just about moved in with her.

"Okay, where do we buy one?" he replied with a grin. "I want to do the holiday the _right_ way, you know. Teach me all about the traditions, everything there is to know."

Ziva got up from the breakfast bar counter and walked to the bookshelf in her living room. Tony watched as she browsed the titles and pulled a thin book from the second to bottom shelf. She returned to the counter and handed the book to him.

"First, you must read this book," she instructed. He glanced at the cover: a kids' book titled _All About Hannukah_. The colorful picture on the cover showed a menorah with brightly colored candles and a boy with a yarmulke watching his mother light the candles.

"Um, you _do_ realize this is a book for kids, right?" he smirked at her.

"Yes; it will be very instructive for you," she leaned into his face with a grin. "And it has pictures…"

"Very funny."

She pecked his lips with her own, "Just your pot of tea, yes?"

" _Cup_ ; cup of tea," he corrected her without thinking about it. "Uh… _not_ that I am admitting anything here…" At her amused laugh, he tried again, "I don't just read books and magazines with pictures; I mean, they help get the point across, but the words are important too." She laughed out loud as he dug the hole deeper. "Um, shutting up now and reading," he opened the book to read about the Maccabees, the miracle of the oil, and the traditions and symbols of the holiday.

"That is a _good_ idea; then we will find a menorah and candles."

Three hours later, the pair returned to the apartment with a simple traditional menorah with the four branches on either side of a central stem with the shammash candle and a box of forty-four candles that reminded Tony of birthday cake candles on steroids. Tony had read the book while Ziva cleaned the kitchen from their brunch. They had a joint shower which lasted longer than either one anticipated due to some adult activity, then started a load of laundry before driving to the nearest superstore.

Ziva searched online and found a transliteration of the blessings for the candles and the first night. She printed them for Tony, telling him that she expected _him_ to recite the nightly blessing over the candles on the fifth night. He reluctantly agreed, but it was for her, so he would do his best to learn the words.

One night five, they almost didn't get to light the candles due to a case but managed to return to the apartment with minutes to spare before sundown. Tony took a deep breath as Ziva looked to him to begin the blessing. He recited the prayer perfectly and was rewarded with a kiss after lighting the shammash and then the five candles. He joked that if he could get that reward again, he'd say the blessing for the remaining nights. Ziva held him to the deal.

~2016~

Tony was at the large Parisian superstore on a grocery run when he spotted the display of menorahs and candles. Checking over the display, he realized that Chanukah and Christmas week overlapped. Ziva hadn't said anything about the holiday, but then again, the family of three were still getting their bearings as a family.

The flat was small, so small that they'd agreed on a three-foot tree as the annual decoration. Tali wouldn't know any difference at two- and one-half years old anyhow. He found a small six-inch long by four-inch tall – including the candles - menorah, silver-plated, that held slim, birthday cake type candles that they could place on the counter or even on a windowsill. Tiny or small was the operative word when it came to decorations in the flat; there wasn't room for anything else.

He was determined that his, no, _their_ family celebrate both holidays each year and any other of the Jewish and Christian holidays that they wanted. He was willing to embrace Ziva's heritage wholeheartedly.

Once home, Tony and Ziva unpacked the groceries while Tali watched a children's program on one of the many cable TV channels to which he'd subscribed within two weeks of moving to the flat in the summer. She loved watching television; she _was_ his child after all. If it made her happy, he'd get the little girl the moon.

"What is this?" Ziva pulled the plain brown box from the bag.

Tony grinned, "Open it."

Ziva shot him a scowl but her curiosity won out. "Candles? We have celebrated all our birthdays for this year."

"Keep going."

"OH! I had forgotten all about Chanukah," she pulled the shiny menorah from its box. "This will fit on the counter nicely. Toda," she kissed him lightly on the lips and smiled at him. She handed him the box and placed the menorah on the raised part of the counter.

Tony noticed another item wrapped in tissue paper at the bottom of the box. "What's this?" he separated the paper to find a one-inch plastic dreidel. He held it up for Ziva to see, "You can teach Tali and me how to play the dreidel games!"

~2017~

"Any idea which box we packed the menorah?" Ziva rummaged through the boxes that had been shipped from Paris and stored in the garage of the house they were renting.

Tony shrugged, "None, sweetcheeks. We _could_ just go buy a new one this year. A bigger one since we are in a house and have lots of room."

Ziva was about to open another box when the sounds of Anthony waking came over the baby monitor app on her phone. Tali appeared in the doorway a minute later.

"Anthony is awake, and he stinks," the little girl held her nose as she informed her parents. "I think he poo-ed."

The small menorah was forgotten as the parents took care of the messy baby, fed the family, and chose the movie for their family movie night. After getting the kids in bed for the night, Tony pulled up his saved items on the internet mega-store site on his tablet.

"At what are we looking?" Ziva questioned her husband.

"Menorahs," he replied. "I saved a few that I like, but we can browse more and choose one for the family that we both like. One that will be our Chanukah tradition for the foreseeable future. Maybe one our kids will fight over when we're gone?"

As they browsed the selections, neither saw any particular one that jumped out as _the one_. On the third page of items, both Tony and Ziva immediately were drawn to a brass tree of life menorah with the shammash candle on the highest part of the tree and the daily candles arched over the treetop. Tony clicked on the image for details.

"Sand-cast bronze, acacia tree; three dimensional," he read the description out loud. "I really like this one."

"As do I," Ziva noted. "A bit pricey, though. It is almost two hundred dollars."

Tony shrugged at her, "We are buying something that will last years, Ziva. It is worth the money in my opinion. Besides, we both like it." He clicked _Buy It Now_ before she could argue. "Should be here in two days; Chanukah starts in six days."

~2019~

"So, do you want our usual menorah or the one from the Haifa house this year?" Tony asked his very pregnant wife. He refused to let her help with any decorating or lugging the totes inside from the garage. His one concession was to allow her to hang the Christmas stockings and some ornaments on the tree. He made that choice after she threatened him with a paperclip.

"I don't know… we have _our_ menorah that we hope to make a tradition, but the one from Haifa is one I remember from my childhood…" Ziva looked between the two. The menorah from her family things was made from gold and silver, a traditional style with the center stem holding the shammash candle and the eight branches equally spaced on either side. The Star of David adorned the center stem as well. A maker's mark on the bottom of the piece and a date indicated that the menorah had been made in Be'er Sheva in Kislev 5713 – December 1952. Ziva remembered her Ima telling the children that the menorah had been a gift to her Savta and Saba.

"How about we use _both_?" Tony suggested. "Nothing wrong with having two menorahs; you can light one and I can light the other."


	21. Gratitude

Chapter 21: Gratitude - 2030

Tali waited until her parents retired to their bedroom for the night to hang her surprise for the family. She signaled to Anthony to join her as she passed by his bedroom with the roll of paper under her arm. He grabbed the large cork board that he and Tali bought at the office supply store earlier that day from his closet.

"You got the stapler and push pins?" he asked his big sister.

"Oops, thanks for reminding me; here hold this a minute," Tali handed her brother the rolled white craft paper and returned to her room. She opened the bottom desk drawer and retrieved the bag with the new package of push pins, bright green sticky notes, and assorted gel pens. She grabbed the stapler from the desktop.

"Okay, let's go," she led Anthony to the empty wall in the dining room. "Hand me the two plastic things for the screws so I can put them in the wallboard."

"How are you gonna do that without Ima hearing a hammer or something?"

"See those two spots on the wall?" Tali aimed the flashlight beam at two spots that were slightly different in color from the rest of the wall. "I made the holes while Ima and Abba were shopping and then covered them over with a small amount of school glue. All we have to do is pull it out of the holes with a pushpin. The plastic thingies will slide right in."

Tali poked the pieces of glue with the pin, both fell into the wall, which was okay. She slid the screw holders into the wallboard. She took the two screws from the package with the corkboard and used a small screwdriver to turn them until about a quarter of an inch stuck out from the wall.

Anthony helped mount the corkboard on the screws and then adjusted it as Tali stepped back to make sure it was straight.

"Okay, do you want to hold the paper or staple?"

Anthony thought a minute, "I'll hold the paper; you staple." He held the paper so the corners aligned with the upper corners of the cork. Tali placed staples in the corners and across the top.

"Now unroll it a bit at time; I'll smooth it down and staple," she instructed him. In five minutes, they had the unrolled paper, showing the image of a bare tree with many branches, stapled to the cork and ready for the next step.

"Grateful tree," Anthony read the words on the bottom of the paper. "Add a leaf to tell for what you are grateful." He looked at the green sticky notes, "I get it, the green stickies are the leaves. Do we have to write our names on the notes?"

"Only if you want," Tali replied. "After all that went down last month, I think we all need to focus on the good things and the things that matter."

Anthony nodded, "I agree. It's been rough." He got quiet and seemed lost in thought. Tali reached over to her brother and pulled him into a hug.

"This is for you, bro. You will be okay, especially with all of us having your back, always." She hugged him closer and whispered, "At lo levad."

Anthony nodded and hugged his sister tighter. "Toda," he whispered. He pulled from the hug and grabbed a gel pen and the pad of sticky notes. "The first leaf is mine."

He wrote his note carefully, tracing the letters of the single word in multiple colors: ' _FAMILY._ ' Tali handed him a clear pushpin and he tacked the green paper on the highest branch with a smile.

The two eldest DiNozzo offspring headed back to their bedrooms for the night.

LJ was the first one awake in the morning; he even got up before his Ima. He moved silently to the kitchen to find something to eat. With a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of orange juice in hand, the boy walked into the dining room. He noticed the addition immediately.

Grinning, he took the pad of green notes and the blue gel pen and wrote a single word on his paper. Then he drew a fancy heart around the word. He pinned his creation to the tree. Satisfied he looked over his note that read simply: ' _Anthony._ ' He sat at the table to eat his snack with a grin.

"Boker tov," Ima called from the kitchen. "We will have a farmer's omelet later when everyone is awake." She entered the dining room to give her son a hug. "Did you do that?" she nodded in the direction of the tree image.

"No; it was there when I got up. I thought you and Abba put it up," he replied. "I _did_ put a leaf though."

Ziva smiled as she read the two leaves; she added her own to the tree. ' _Caring about others._ ' "I think this is a wonderful idea," she commented to LJ.

Tony was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee for himself. "What idea?" he stumbled into the dining room, still not quite awake. Ziva tried not to smirk at his porcuswine hair. She pointed to the wall with the tree. Tony walled closer to inspect the paper and corkboard.

"I like it; you do it?" he looked at Ziva and then at LJ. Both shook their heads. "I wonder who then?" He put his mug of coffee on the table and sat down with the pad of green notes and a pen. He scrawled on the page and pulled it from the pad. With a pushpin, he placed his note next to Ziva's: ' _Love and family._ '

Over the three weeks between when Tali and Anthony hung the tree and Christmas Eve, many notes were added to the leaves on the tree, not just by DiNozzo family members, but by extended family as well. In all, seventy-four leaves appeared on the tree. On Christmas day, before the traditional family meal of lasagna and salad with garlic bread, Gibbs read every one of the notes to the extended family that gathered around the table for celebration of the holiday instead of a blessing over the meal.

"Amen," chorused the group after the last leaf was read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N For more about the abuse Anthony revealed earlier in 2030, see "Twin Trouble."


	22. No Peeking

Chapter 22: No Peeking - 2023

"Anthony DiNozzo!" Ziva spoke sharply startling her big child who was checking packages under the Christmas tree. He had one in his hand and had been gently shaking it when she walked into the family room.

Tony turned around quickly, a sheepish grin on his face. He tried the puppy eyes, knowing that usually got him out of some of the trouble, "I… um… was… just… um…" He shrugged and carefully replaced the brightly wrapped gift with his name on the tag under the tree.

"How many times have I told you there is no peeking?" she scolded him as if he were one of their children. " _You_ ," she poked him in the chest, "have to be an example for our children. If you peek, they will try to peek as well. Now, behave yourself, or I may have to take some of your gifts back."

"Aw, Zi."

She wagged a finger at him, "Just leave the gifts alone. That is all I am asking; it is not that hard to do, yes?'

Tony smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him, "Yes, Ima. Mistletoe." He pointed above them. Before she could reply, he planted his lips on hers.

When the couple broke for air, Ziva patted her husband's cheek, "Do not try to distract me to get out of trouble." He grinned at her and kissed her again.

"Ima, I'm hungry!" Anthony ran into the family room from the playroom, followed by Rivka and Beth. Tali and LJ were not far behind. "Eww, they're _kissing_."

The parents pulled apart as LJ ran over to them. The toddler grinned at his Abba and pointed to the ceiling, "Mis-toe. Kiss Ima!" He then tugged at his mother's hand, "Me hungee, Ima. Me eat?" He rubbed his belly to emphasize the point.

"We will _all_ get a snack," Ziva walked towards the kitchen with the five children following her; Tony followed the kids. "I think soft pretzels and milk would be a good snack, yes?"

"Yay!" the kids all agreed with their Ima's choice for snack.

While Ziva was heating the pretzels in the convection oven, Tony snuck back into the family room. He _really_ wanted to know what was in the box from Ziva. The shape and size did not fit for any of the things he had on his wish list that year. He took his small knife from his pocket and slid the small blade under the tape on one side. He had about half of the strip of tape lifted from the wrapping paper when Tali startled him.

"What are you doing, Abba?" Tali appeared by his side. Her ninja stealth skills were almost as good as her mother's.

He nearly dropped the knife and present, "Um… nothing…" He tried to hide the box behind his back and fold the knife with his other hand. Maybe she really hadn't seen what he was doing.

Tali scowled at her Abba, "Well, Ima says no peeking, or she takes the presents back. _You_ were trying to peek." Tony bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing out loud; the girl looked so much like her mother scolding him.

Rivka ran into the room from the kitchen, "Snack is ready. Ima says to come now!" She stopped when she saw her Abba with the gift in his hand. "Abba, _you aren't supposed to peek_!" the little girl put her hands on her hips and scowled at her naughty Abba. "Ima will take away your presents if you do."

Tony gave his girls a sheepish grin and slid the package back under the tree with the partially untaped side away from their view. "You caught me; now let's go get our snack and _not_ tell Ima, okay?"

The family sat down at the dining room table to the soft pretzels and milk snack. Ziva also put out small bowls of melted cheddar cheese, cinnamon sugar, melted caramel, spicy brown and yellow mustards, and melted chocolate for dipping the pretzels if each one chose to do so. Anthony preferred the melted cheddar while Tali's dip of choice was the melted caramel. Tony usually chose the yellow mustard and Ziva had the spicy mustard. Beth liked to dip her pretzel in the melted chocolate and Rivka preferred the cinnamon sugar for dipping. Only LJ had no preference; he often ate his pretzel plain or sampled each of the other family member's dip of choice.

After the snack, the twins and Tali followed Ziva to the kitchen to make more dough for the soft pretzels. She made enough for forty-nine shaped pretzels each time she baked them. They were then frozen in bags of seven for the family to have as a snack. When Ziva retrieved the bag for the latest snack she'd noticed only one bag remaining in the freezer; time to make more.

LJ followed his father to the family room. Tony noticed the toddler behind him and had an idea.

"Hey, LJ, want to help me with something important?"

"Yep, me help!"

Tony pointed to the gift from Ziva, "See that box with the red bow and the shiny red and silver paper?" When LJ nodded, he continued, "Go pick it up for me and bring it here, please." LJ grabbed the box and carried it to his Abba. He was just about to place it in his father's hand when Anthony appeared.

"Hey, Ima says we can't peek at our gifts!" he yelled to the other two. "If she sees you, she will take away your presents."

Ziva heard her older son and peered around the corner of the wall from the kitchen. "Who is peeking?" she inquired, looking at Anthony.

"Abba!" the boy pointed to his father and little brother. "He got LJ to help him…"

LJ dropped the box in his Abba's hands and quickly ran to his Ima. "Me no bad; _Abba_ bad."

"Busted," Tali grinned from behind her mother; she and the twins were watching the scene unfold as Ima strode over to their father.

Ziva grabbed the gift from her husband, "I guess this one will go back to the store; no gifts for the _naughty_ boy." She carried the box to her office and then returned.

"Let that be a lesson to you children, your Abba lost a gift because he tried to peek to see what is in the box," she explained to the five children who were now in the kitchen. Tony sat at the counter and hung his head. "What is the rule?"

"No peeking!" all five looked at their Abba. " _Ever_!"

(Tony _did_ get his gift on Christmas night; a new smartwatch from Ziva.)


	23. Paper, Ribbons, and Bows

Chapter 23: Paper, Ribbons, and Bows – 2027

"Every freaking year we do the same thing," Tony groused as he hobbled between offices with his left hand on his lower back. "We wrap gifts at the last minute on Christmas Eve and vow we are gonna do better on getting the gift wrapping done early the next year."

"And you sit on the floor, and then complain about your back," Ziva put a hand on his cheek. "We need to find a better system."

Tony cut the sheet of paper to the size he needed for Anthony's new tablet. He handed Ziva the roll of paper, "When you get that set of photography books wrapped, four of the kids will be done. I'm glad we decided to use the gift wrap to code which presents are whose."

"Well, I am glad we used the last of the _Lion King_ paper this year, finally. LJ is getting a bit old for that theme," Ziva placed the three-book set on the sports-themed paper. "We shall need to find a new theme for his gifts."

"Ditto for the princess-themed papers for the twins," he commented. "I'll bet you clean-up chores after breakfast tomorrow that Riv will roll her eyes at the Disney baby princess stuff."

Ziva smirked, "I would not bet against it; and, no, you are not getting out of cleaning up that easily." She leaned over and kissed him lightly. "The deal is whoever does not make Christmas breakfast cleans up. This year is _my_ turn to make our family breakfast."

"Challah French toast?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded, "That is why I made the extra loaves today. I know that is everyone's favorite. I also bought some turkey breakfast sausage and turkey bacon."

"Yum! Please hand me the music-themed wrapping paper roll," he pointed to the large roll they found after Christmas last year. "Tali will like this one; it looks sort of 'grown up' don't ya think?"

He measured out the paper and made the cuts he needed. As he folded the cheerful wrap around the fluffy bathrobe, something occurred to him. "You know, Ziva, every year we spend hours wrapping gifts for the kids and family. And then what happens? In mere _minutes_ , the paper, ribbons, and bows are discarded in heaps in the family room so that the recipient can admire the gifts inside the packages."

"Yes; and?"

"Well, what if we tried to make it easier on _us_ and find something a bit more sustainable? Like reusable fabric gift bags," he suggested. "Remember the ones we saw at the superstore?"

Ziva nodded, "They were not inexpensive. But, if we can reuse them year after year, it may be worth the extra money in the long term. Perhaps we can check the after-Christmas clearance sales and get some deals?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Oh, and with your big gift, maybe we can even make our own?" he remembered the sewing machine that was under the tree for Ziva from him. She had decided to try quilting as a hobby after seeing some of the pieces made by Delilah's mother back in the fall.

"We shall see; are you offering to help?" she winked at her husband.

Tony grinned, "Actually, yes, I would help. I mean, how hard can it be to sew up a simple bag? I'd give it a try."

Ziva put the last piece of tape on the gift she was wrapping for Tali, "I will hold you to that." She stacked some of the wrapped gifts, "Now help me carry these gifts to put under the tree, please. The McGees will be here for breakfast at 0830."


	24. Silent Night

Chapter 24: Silent Night - 2029

"Hurry up, Anthony," Beth urged her older brother to walk faster as the two siblings delivered Christmas cookies to the neighbors. "If we are too slow, everybody will be eating dinner before we get back."

Anthony sighed, "Ima said that she would wait to serve the food until we got back home." He lugged the large wagon to the next house; they had seven large baskets of cookies to deliver in all with invitations to the DiNozzo house for later that evening. There were two more in the wagon before they headed home plus a disposable cooler with prepared meals.

Beth rang the doorbell at Mrs. Dooley's house. Anthony lifted the styrofoam cooler out of the wagon as the woman answered the door.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Dooley," Beth handed the neighbor a tin of cookies. "Ima made your favorites, plus all of the others she always makes for Christmas."

Anthony grinned, "Ima sent over some food for you as well. I know she packed some lasagna, some of her beef stew, and I think some chicken casserole for you. I'll put the cooler in your kitchen. Abba says to keep the cooler if you want."

"Thank you," she led Anthony to the kitchen where he placed the cooler on the counter by the refrigerator. "I have some homemade candies for you to take home for the family." She handed a box to Anthony with a smile.

"Abba said to tell you _It's a Wonderful Life_ will start at 7:30 if you want to come over. Merry Christmas, Mrs. D." the DiNozzos waved to their friend as the two headed to the last house to make the cookie delivery. Anthony rang the bell at Mr. Jenson's house and when the old man opened the door, he handed the cookies to the neighbor and invited him to come watch the film.

Back at home, Beth punched the code into the garage door opener on the door frame; Anthony pulled the wagon inside and then closed the door as the two entered the house via the door to the kitchen. He handed his Ima the candies from Mrs. Dooley.

"Mrs. Dooley sent candy," he gave Ziva the box. "I hope she put in the same fudge that she made last year!"

Ziva took the box from her son, "All of her candy is delicious. Dinner is in about twenty minutes, as soon as the McGees arrive. They are on the way now."

Both children headed to the front entry foyer to hang their coats on the pegs by the door. As they were doing so, the front door opened as the McGee family arrived. Anthony helped Katie with her coat, hanging it on the same peg as his own. Beth took Aunt Delilah's jacket to hang on the coat tree for her.

"Smells good," Tim commented. "Did your mother make her beef stew?"

"Yep," Anthony affirmed. "I think that's everyone's favorite; Abba made biscuits too."

Delilah rolled to the kitchen, "I brought dessert; three dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing." She placed the carrier on the counter and hugged Ziva. "What can I do to help?"

"I think everything is ready," Ziva smiled. "Tony is taking the biscuits from the oven now and I just have to carry the stew pot to the table for serving." She lifted the large pot from the stove to place on the hot pad on the dining room table. "Dinner is ready," she called to the others in the family room.

DiNozzos and McGees enjoyed the hearty dinner of beef stew, biscuits with butter, and assorted beverages. Delilah, Tali, and Ziva had just finished cleaning up in the kitchen and started getting the popcorn ready when the doorbell rang.

Anthony greeted several neighbors, including Mrs. Dooley, and Mr. Jensen. The Palmer family arrived as the others were entering the house, with the Reeves family behind them. Tony set up the DVD for the traditional holiday film in the family room as Tim and John moved chairs from the dining room and kitchen into the family room.

The mulled cider was heating in a large crockpot as Tali filled bowls with popcorn and potato chips. Delilah put the red velvet cupcakes on the kitchen table with the other snacks. Rivka and Beth set out paper plates, cups, and napkins for their guests. LJ made sure everyone's coats were hung on the coat tree or the pegs by the front door. He also kept watch for Grandpa to arrive.

Tony stood in front of the large screen television and greeted the crowd of thirty, "Welcome to the annual screening of _It's a Wonderful Life,_ a DiNozzo family tradition since 1971. Sit back, enjoy the cider, popcorn, and snacks." He pressed the play button on the remote and sat with Ziva on the loveseat. He wrapped an arm around his wife as she leaned against him.

After the movie ended, Tali played Christmas carols on the piano. Tony brought out his guitar and the DiNozzo family led the singing of many favorites. As the evening wound down, Ziva announced the final carol of the night.

"To end our celebration, our family will sing _Stille Nacht_ also known as _Silent Night._ We will sing in the original German, but feel free to join in with English," she announced. She signaled to Tali and Tony to begin.

After the caroling, Tali, Anthony, John, Tim, and Tony walked the elderly neighbors to their homes as the Palmer and Reeves families loaded into vehicles to head to their homes. Ziva, Rivka, Beth, Delilah, Katie, and LJ cleaned up the remnants of the snack and Gibbs took trash out.

"Good night everyone," McGees and Gibbs headed out as DiNozzos headed to get ready for bed. "Merry Christmas!"


	25. Merry Christmas

Chapter 25: Merry Christmas – 2024

"Ima! Wake up Ima!" LJ patted his mother's face with his hand. "Sanna Claus bringed us lots of presents!" He moved in closer to see if his Ima's eyes were open.

Ziva slowly opened an eye, "LJ? What is it motek?" She could tell that it was still dark, but there was enough ambient light that she could see the outline of her three-year-old at the side of the bed.

"It's Christmas Ima!" LJ almost shouted and jumped up and down with excitement.

Tony rolled over and groaned, "What time is it?" He peered at the bedside clock on Ziva's nightstand. "Am I seeing that right? 0343?" he whispered to his wife.

"Mm-hmm. LJ come in the bed. It is too early to be awake," she held up the covers on her side and the little boy climbed into the bed next to his mother. "We need to sleep at least until daylight."

"Okay Ima," the boy burrowed in between his parents and drifted back to sleep.

"Abba! Wake up, Abba!" Beth and Rivka tried to shake their father's shoulder.

Tony rolled towards his side of the bed, "Huh? What is it?"

"It's Christmas! Santa left a whole bunch of presents under the tree while we were sleeping. Can we open them now?" Riv tried to pry her father's eye open.

He brushed her hand away and opened an eye, "It's still dark. When everyone is awake, we can open presents in the daylight." He glanced at the clock on his nightstand; 0427. "You two need to go back to sleep for a while."

"Can we sleep here? Please?" Beth gave her best puppy eyes even in the mostly dark room.

Tony lifted the comforter, "Come on…" Both girls climbed in the bed and snuggled on either side of their Abba. Soon all three were back to sleep. Three of the cats, Lightning, Callie, and Patches soon curled up by their humans. Asher turned and sighed on the dog bed by Ziva's side of the bed, then jumped up on the foot of the bed and curled into Ziva's legs.

Ziva was aware of the dog pinning her legs to the bed as she also realized that Anthony was gently prodding her shoulder. "What is the matter?" she mumbled still half asleep.

"It's Christmas Ima; and we have lots of presents under the tree. Daisy woke me up," the boy explained. "I can't go back to sleep."

Ziva opened an eye, "What time is it?"

Anthony read the clock on Ima's bedside table, "Five oh seven."

Ziva sighed, "It is too early to get up; come in the bed with the rest of us. We can try to sleep a bit longer." She patted the empty space to her side. Anthony crawled under the covers and snuggled into his Ima. She was nice and warm. Daisy hopped up next to Anthony's feet and curled up to sleep.

Tony was aware of several small bodies around his as he drifted into consciousness. Rivka and Beth were cuddled into either side of him with their cats planted between his legs and their legs; Callie was wrapped around his head. He tried to move so he could glance at Ziva's side of the bed and was reprimanded with complaints from all three cats. He slowly turned his head; Tali and Simba were next Beth, with LJ on the other side of Tali. Ziva was on her back with the boys curled on either side of her and from the weight at his feet, he guessed that Asher was at the bottom of the bed. He couldn't see her, but he would bet money that Daisy was near Anthony's feet.

He smiled to himself; this is what it was all about. Not the brightly wrapped gifts piled under the tree that he and Ziva had spent a bit over four hours wrapping and carrying from their offices to the family room; not the holiday tree with its twinkly lights and ornaments that represented each of them and the extended family; not the four pans of lasagna that were waiting to be baked for dinner at Gibbs' house later that day. No, Christmas was about family, specifically _his_ family.

Ten years ago, he would have never imagined himself lying in a king-sized bed that he shared with Ziva, surrounded by _their_ children. Five DiNozzos of the next generation: ten-year-old Tali, seven-year-old Anthony, the almost five-year-old twins Rivka and Beth, and three-year-old LJ. Plus, the six fur-legged DiNozzos: Asher the greyhound, Daisy the Border Collie, Callie and Patches the calico cats, Simba the orange tabby, and Lightning the medium-haired white cat. Thirteen DiNozzos in one bed; the lucky thirteen if one were to ask Tony.

He turned carefully to glance at the clock on his night table; 0635. Soon all of the family would be awake, and the commotion of the household would be the norm; he decided to enjoy the quiet reflection time while he could.

Ziva opened her eyes to the semi-darkness of the early morning pre-dawn hours. Both boys were cuddled into her sides and she could feel the weights of the two dogs near her legs and feet. She slowly turned to look over at Tony's side of the bed; Tali and Simba were beside LJ. She could make out the twins curled into their Abba and cats piled on top of them. Callie was on Tony's pillow, curled against his head. She smiled to herself; family… _her family_ … was what the holidays were all about. So many years of her life had been spent alone at the winter holidays; now she wouldn't trade anything for the joy of having her soulmate, her love and their five children all snuggled into one big bed.

She turned carefully so as not to wake any sleeping children or animals and glanced at her bedside clock; 0635. Soon enough the house would be filled with the sounds of children's laughter and excitement, opening gifts, and the smells of the lasagna baking and breakfast cooking.

"Zi? You awake?" Tony whispered.

"Yes; Merry Christmas, neshama," she whispered in reply.

"Merry Christmas, sweetcheeks. I'm gonna enjoy the quiet while we can." He turned in her direction and locked gazes with his better half over the sleeping children and pets. "Ani ohev otcha."

The kids and pets started waking up with the daylight. Ziva knew the cats and dogs would be begging for their breakfast soon and the kids would be ready to open gifts as soon as possible. LJ was the first one to pop up after realizing that it was Christmas morning.

"Ima, Abba, it's Christmas! Can we open presents now?" he stood up on the bed and tried to climb over his mother.

The other kids joined in his request, climbing over their parents to get off the bed and run to the family room. Animals followed children. Tony rolled towards his wife and locked lips with her.

"Merry Christmas, sweetcheeks," he pointed towards the ceiling. "Mistletoe!"

"Merry Christmas; let us get going before the children have the family room in a storm of paper," Ziva returned the kiss with a grin. "I think these animals will be waiting for their breakfast also." The adults donned their warm robes and slippers before heading out to the kitchen and family room.

Ziva reminded the children that animals needed to be fed before any presents were opened. LJ and Beth helped place the bowls of cat food on the floor for the four felines, while Anthony helped his father with the dogs' food. Rivka and Tali made sure the pets' water bowls were full.

Rivka and LJ jumped up and down with excitement as Ziva started towards the family room.

"The dogs and cats are fed; can we open presents _now_?" Riv tugged at her Ima's robe sleeve.

Ziva smiled at the little girl, "I think it is time…" All five children ran to the family room, stopping in front of the Christmas tree to gawk at all the gifts piled under and around it. Tony used the app on his phone to turn on the lights of the tree and start the holiday music channel on the cable tv.

"Before the paper and trims start flying," he looked at the five children. "Tali has the blue kittens paper. Anthony has the red paper with puppies. Rivka has the light blue princess wrapping paper. The pink princess paper is Beth's, and the _Lion King_ paper is LJ's stuff. Ima's gifts are wrapped in the blue paper with snowflakes."

"And Abba's gifts are in the red and silver shiny paper," Ziva added. "Any gifts for the animals are in the Santa themed paper with the pet's name written on it. Are we ready?"

"YES!" five voices of excited kids replied with signature DiNozzo grins. Each one grabbed one of their gifts from under the tree and found a spot to sit to open it. Tony chose a wrapped gift to hand to Ziva and she handed him one of his packages.

"On three… one… two… three!" Tony could hear the sounds of paper tearing as they all eagerly unwrapped a gift. He took his phone from the pocket of his robe and snapped several pictures. Grins became wider as each discovered the contents of the gifts. Oohs and ahhs punctuated the ripping of paper.

"Just what I wanted!"

"This was on the top of my wish list!"

"Oh cool!"

"Look Ima; look what I got!"

"Abba, Santa _knew_ exactly what I wanted!"

Paper, ribbons, bows, boxes flew everywhere; the piles of torn wrappings grew as the pile of gifts under the tree shrank. Asher and Daisy each got a stuffing-less plush toy; Asher's six-foot-long snake toy was a hit with the greyhound. Daisy trotted around with her plush squirrel toy, nudging Anthony to play tug-of-war with her. Each cat received a catnip mouse toy and some treats although Lightning and Simba were more interested in attacking the pile of torn wrapping paper.

Tony and Ziva shared a look; their family room was organized chaos, but they wouldn't have it any other way. The couple locked lips under the mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" LJ hugged Asher as he shouted the holiday greetings to all.


End file.
